The Montreal Metro network now has 23 universally accessible stations, with the addition of lifts at Villa-María on the Orange Line and Pi-IX on the Green Line. More than 100 million has been invested to transform the interiors of these two busy stations.
“With every lift installed, we change the daily lives of our customers. It is important to continue our efforts,” Eric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the board of directors of the Société de Transporte de Montréal (STM), said on Friday.
It was at Pi-IX station that the work was most pressing. Beyond the elevator installation, the project, which began in fall 2020, also includes expanding the station’s main and secondary entrances, widening the underground walkway, reviewing several electronic systems, and adding a natural ventilation shaft.
In total, the surgery alone cost more than $81 million. The STM notes that “municipal infrastructure” works such as the redesign of Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue and Pie-IX Boulevard to accommodate the Pie-IX Bus Rapid Service (SRB) were carried out simultaneously.
It states that it is “the first multi-partner project after the adoption of Law 16 in December 2019”, which makes it possible to “control duplication of construction sites, affect citizens as little as possible and effectively manage public funds”.
45 more to go
Further west, in Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Villa-Maria station also benefited from a facelift, with the installation of three new lifts. The project, at a cost of about 25 million, includes the expansion of the boarding platforms and the entrance on the west facade.
A new auxiliary building used for ventilation has also been installed on the west facade. The bus terminal has also been “upgraded” to provide a smoother experience, and the station doors are motorized.
Four stations in the Montreal metro will be made accessible to all this year. However, there are still 45 stations missing. Eight other projects are underway at Angrignon, Berri-UQAM (yellow line), Édouard-Montpetit, D’Iberville, Jolicœur, McGill, Outremont and Place-Saint-Henri stations.
Mr. Caldwell assures us that he will “maintain momentum to gradually but surely make the remaining forty stations accessible”. “The feasibility of the projects, the need to maintain the assets as well as the availability of funding will be taken into consideration to establish the next steps of this project,” STM says.
