page_title: Montreal and Southern Counties Railway
section_title: Expansion
hierarchical_section_title: Montreal and Southern Counties Railway / History / Expansion
caption_attribution_description: English: The first Montreal &amp; Southern Counties tram arrives in Saint-Lambert via the Victoria Bridge. Montreal &amp; Southern Counties was an interurban streetcar line that ran between Montreal and Granby from 1909 to 1956. Français&#160;: Le premier tramway du Montreal &amp; Southern Counties arrive à Saint-Lambert via le pont Victoria.
context_page_description: The Montreal and Southern Counties Railway Company was an electric interurban streetcar line that served communities between Montreal and Granby from 1909 until 1956. A second branch served the city of Longueuil. Operated by the Canadian National Railway, the M&SCRC ran trams on tracks in the street in Montreal and closer South Shore communities, and on separate right of way in rural areas.
context_section_description: May 28, 1910, service was extended to Montreal South (now a part of Vieux-Longueuil at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge) and to the city of Longueuil (which at that time covered the Old Longueuil Heritage Site).
  In 1911 a southern branch was built from the foot of the Victoria bridge, to link St. Lambert to the Ranelagh Country Club and opened on Labour Day "to accommodate golfers." That branch was then continued east through Greenfield Park and Mackayville, junctioning with the GTR main line to St. Hyacinthe. Service to these communities started on November 1, 1912.
  In 1913 work began to electrify the Central Vermont Railway line between the GTR junction northeast of Mackayville and Marieville. Interurban service expanded rapidly along this existing track:
  June 6, 1913: Service opened all the way to Richelieu.
  September 28, 1913: Service expanded to Marieville.
  May 3, 1914: Opening of service on new track to St. Césaire.
  The Company came to a ten-year agreement with town of Granby to run trains on its Main Street (now rue Principale). In 1915 and 1916 new tracks were laid from St. Césaire to Granby. Service to Abbotsford and Granby finally opened on April 30, 1916, with a workshop at the corner of Main and Pie-IX Boulevard.
  On June 1, 1926 there was a new spur opened between Marieville and Ste. Angèle, after electrifying a rail line previously abandoned by Central Vermont.
  There were reports in 1915 of further expansion plans—from Longueuil to Boucherville; from Richelieu to Sorel; and from the Country Club to La Prairie. None of these materialized. Neither was service ever extended from Granby to Sherbrooke as was its original mandate.
  The creation of the railway coincided with an increase in population in the areas serviced. According to the Census, communities along the railway in Chambly County grew 36% between 1911 and 1921 censuses; Granby city and surrounding township grew by 35% in the same period, while communities in Rouville County grew by 8%.
caption: A M&SC streetcar arriving in Saint-Lambert. The Victoria Bridge is in the background.
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