Canada’s railways celebrate the induction of Saint-Lambert, Que., into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame

Railway Association of Canada (RAC) member-company CN yesterday formally acknowledged the induction of Saint-Lambert, Que. into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame (CRHF), and announced that it will be donating a public plaque to recognize the city’s achievement.

The announcement was made last night alongside mayor Alain Dépatie at a council meeting at Saint-Lambert City Hall. Michael Bourque, RAC President and CEO, and Gilles B. Legault, Senior Counsel for CN, were in attendance.

According to a statement by Sean Finn, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services, and Chief Legal Officer of CN: “Saint-Lambert was built by a railway and its entrance into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame is well-deserved. We’re proud to make a donation that will forever remind us of this community’s long-standing importance to Canada’s railway history.”

The public plaque will be unveiled in late June.

Saint-Lambert was first established and grew around the presence of the railway more than 150 years ago. Beginning with the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad, the Grand Trunk Railway and the CN Victoria Bridge in the mid-nineteenth century, Saint-Lambert has evolved from a rural community into a busy suburb through which dozens of trains travel each day carrying goods and passengers.

“The railway has played and continues to play a key role in the development of Saint-Lambert,” said Mr. Dépatie. “It will remain part of our community”.

Saint-Lambert was a 2013-2014 inductee into the CRHF, which recognizes the people, technology and municipalities that have advanced Canada’s railway industry. It was inducted in the Communities subcategory, which honours municipalities deemed to have historical significance to Canada’s railway system.