• Protestors are blocking a Montreal exo train route as well as VIA Rail lines in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en Nation.
• The indigenous community in B.C. is protesting a pipeline that will run through its traditional, unceded lands.
• In Montreal, exo is suggesting alternatives for commuters.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

Train commuters whose travel was affected because of the Wet'suwet'en pipeline protests now have the option to use a shuttle bus service between stations, according to exo, Montreal's commuter transit authority. The protests have shut down a portion of exo's rail network in the South Shore for the past two days. Kahnawake residents have barricaded the Candiac rail line in solidarity with pipeline protestors in British Columbia.

Members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation in B.C. are protecting their lands against the Coast GasLink pipeline, a 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline that will be built on traditional, unceded territory. 

Tensions escalated in the past week when the RCMP arrested over 20 protestors and tore down barricades. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Organization is "highly alarmed" at the RCMP's indiscriminate use of force and has called its actions "a serious violation of indigenous rights and jurisdiction." 

Across the country, indigenous groups and communities have barricaded railway lines in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en Nation. VIA Rail has cancelled all passenger rail traffic along Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor.

To guarantee that no commuters were delayed, exo deployed a fleet of shuttle buses to ferry passengers from the Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Constant, Delson, and Candiac stations to the Mansfield terminal and back.

Local commuters on the South Shore can rely on bus service between the Richelain and Roussillon sectors. 

According to exo, the bus schedule will follow the original train schedule. The estimated travel time will be between 25 minutes and an hour. 

The map below shows the recommended route between the Mansfield and Lucien-l'Allier terminals. 

[rebelmouse-image 26886878 photo_credit="Exo Montreal" expand=1 original_size="1200x1200"] Exo Montreal

Commuters on Montreal Island have a variety of options, depending on their location.

In the southwest of the Island, commuters at du Canal and Lasalle stations can make use of STM metro service or the following bus lines:

• 110-E

• 495-E

• 191-E

If you find yourself at the Montreal-Ouest or Vendome stations, you can make use of the metro or the following transit options: 

• exo1 Vaudreuil-Hudson or exo2 Saint-Jérôme

• 105-E

There's no word on how long the service interruptions will last or when the protests will be over.

Montreal's transit authority assures commuters that they are in "constant communication with its partners in order to minimize the impact of the events." 

As the effects of the Wet'suwet'en Nation's protest reverberate across Canada, train commuters should expect service delays for the foreseeable future. 

In what's been called "unlawful" use of force by the RCMP and an "unjustified" incursion into traditional Wet'suwet'en land, indigenous communities and allies are taking a stand against both pipelines and what they see as the continued erosion of reconciliation between the Government of Canada and First Nations.