Built from 1885 to 1887 by Dominion Bridge Co. and designed by engineer C. Shaler Smith, the St. Lawrence bridge met the needs of Canadian Pacific to break down the monopoly enjoyed by the Grand Trunk Railway, the owner of the Victoria bridge, the only one that spanned the river between the island of Montréal and the South Shore, until then. The St. Lawrence bridge therefore made it possible for trains to come and go between Lachine and Kahnawake.
In 1890, the new Highlands train station welcomed the local clientele. In 1906, a new railway, built on the south side of the Lachine Canal, linked the Highlands district to Montréal. Between 1910 and 1913, the St. Lawrence bridge doubled its tracks. In 1978, passenger service came to a halt at LaSalle train station, before resuming in 2000, between Montréal, Delson and Candiac.
