Société de transport de Montréal Métro
The Montreal Métro was inaugurated on October 14, 1966 in preparation for the Canadian Centennial and Expo '67 hosted by Montreal. It is the second rapid transit system in Canada after Toronto's subway. Instead of traditional steel-wheeled trains however, the Métro uses a rubber tire system derived from the Paris Métro. Montreal's Métro is the first to be entirely rubber-tired as part of Paris' Métro uses steel wheels.
History
Multiple studies and plans were undertaken since 1910 for an underground rapid transit line. But it was not until the election of Jean Drapeau in 1960, that a system began coming together. Municipal council voted on November 3, 1961 to fund a $132 million, 16 kilometre Métro. The proposal would create three lines; one from Atwater to Frontenac (Line 1), one from Crémazie to Place-D'Armes (Line 2), and one under Mont-Royal (Line 3). After Montreal was awarded the 1967 World Fair, Line 3 was deferred in favour of a fourth line to serve the World Fair site in Longueuil.[1]
Line 3 would have run north-south under Mount-Royal using existing Canadian National tracks, and would have had nine to 17 stations. Line 3 would have required different stock that could run outdoors. The line was never built, however AMT now runs commuter trains to Deux-Montagnes through the Mount-Royal Tunnel.
Rubber tired trains were selected to handle the sharp inclines. The contract for the MR-63, which takes design queues from the Paris Metro's MP 59, was awarded to Canadian Vickers at a cost of $45.5 million in August 1963. The total cost of the Métro was now $213.7 million.[1]
The Métro was opened on October 14, 1966 making Montreal the 8th city in North America, and the 26th in the world, to have an underground rapid transit system. Four stations, Frontenac, Beaudry, Square Victoria, and Bonaventure, were not completed on opening day and were opened in the following months. Line 4, was inaugurated on April 1, 1967 the month Expo '67 began.[2]
The STM began construction of an extension of Line 1 from Frontenac to Honoré-Beaugrand on October 14, 1971. The increases in service necessitated a contract for 423 MR-73 cars, which was awarded to Bombardier in May 1974. The extension opened on June 1976, just weeks before the opening ceremonies of the 1976 Summer Olympics. The line was further extended to Angrignon in September 1978.[3]
The 1980s would see great Métro expansion. The Line 2 was extended from Bonaventure to Place-Saint-Henri in 1980. Line 2 was extended again north in September 1981 to Snowdon, in January 1982 to Côte-Sainte-Catherine, and in June 1982 to Plamondon. Plamondon remained the western terminus of Line 2 until January 1984, when the line was extended to Du Collège. Line 2 was extended to its current western terminus at Côte-Vertu in October 1986. A new line, given the number 5, was gradually opened from 1986 to 1988.[3]
In 1998, the Parti Quebecois announced the proposal to extend Line 2 into Laval. Construction of the 5.2-kilometre, 3-stop extension began in 2002 and was complete in 2007. Inauguration of the extension took place on April 26, 2007, and two days later, it was open to the public. According to the AMT, who oversaw the project, the total cost of bringing the Metro into Laval was C$745 million.[4]
Lines
Line 1 - Green |
Line 2 - Orange |
Line 4 - Yellow |
Line 5- Blue |
Rolling stock
Current roster
The Métro has a total fleet of 881 rubber-tired rolling stock.
Fleet number range | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Motors | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
78-001 to 78-141 | 1976 | Bombardier | MR-73 | Trailer car | ||
79-501 to 79-782 | 1976 | Bombardier | MR-73 | Motor car | ||
10-011/10-019 to 10-131/10-139 | 2013-... | Bombardier, Alstom | MPM-10 |
|
Retired Roster
Fleet number range | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Motors | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
80-001 to 80-123 | 1965-67 | Canadian Vickers | MR-63 |
| ||
81-501 to 81-746 | 1963 | Canadian Vickers | MR-63 |
|
References
- Montrealers have a metro at last!. Société de transport de Montréal Métro. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Métro history - Montreal moves forward." Société de transport de Montréal, n.d. Web. Retrieved on 21 July 2013.
- ↑ "Métro history - Inaugurations and extensions." Société de transport de Montréal, n.d. Web. Retrieved on 21 July 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Métro history - The 1970s and 1980s." Société de transport de Montréal, n.d. Web. Retrieved on 21 July 2013.
- ↑ Laval Metro Extension, amt.qc.ca. retrieved on 07 December 2013.