Metro stations closed | A wake-up call for Quebec, hopes the STM

The prolonged closure of three metro stations should serve as a wake-up call to the Legault government in terms of investments in maintaining assets, believes the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).

“We had a wake-up call when the Memorial Viaduct collapsed in the 2000s for the road network. There, the wake-up call must come for the metro, that’s for sure,” bluntly states the president of the carrier, Éric-Alan Caldwell.

The STM took many users by surprise by announcing last Thursday the emergency closure of the Saint-Michel, D’Iberville and Fabre metro stations, on the blue line. The carrier believes it had no other choice after discovering “significant deterioration” of a beam above the footbridge at Saint-Michel station. The de-icing salt used in winter would have caused premature wear of the concrete.

While such a closure remains “unusual” in the history of the STM, “we have been saying for years that we need to do more to maintain our metro,” says Mr. Caldwell.

The president of the STM denounces, among other things, government investments, which have been “in a drastic decline” in recent years.

“In the 2013 STM Capital Assets Program, we anticipated 3.6 billion over 10 years. There, at the last one, it’s 2.4 billion [sur 10 ans]which is equivalent to approximately 1.5 billion in then-dollars. It has been cut in half, when on the contrary we need to accelerate,” illustrates the president.

Nothing impossible

In recent history, the green line also had to be closed last year after the discovery of cracks appearing in the vault of the metro tunnel between the Berri-UQAM and Saint-Laurent stations. And there is nothing to indicate that this will not still happen elsewhere if the trend is not reversed, maintains the Montreal elected official.

“We must come up with clear planning mechanisms for network maintenance. We never ask ourselves the question about the road network, the Turcot interchange, the La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, the Metropolitan highway. So, let’s do the same thing for our metro,” says the manager.

Since the closure of the three stations on Thursday, several technical studies have taken place to try to determine when and how service could resume. “Specialists were asked to consider all options to secure the infrastructure. There, we should have an overview in two days and then we will provide a clear update,” says Mr. Caldwell.

“When we experience events like Saint-Michel, we hate it, because we know it hurts our customers. And where we must not lose is the reliability of the equipment,” he insists.

Ultimately, the more the metro infrastructure deteriorates, “the more expensive their maintenance will become,” fears the president.

To the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, Éric-Alan Caldwell delivers a clear message. “I want to find a solution. Quebec too, according to what they tell me. So, you have to know how to recognize the problem. »

At a press briefing last week, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, also invited the government of Quebec to assume its responsibilities regarding the maintenance of the metro.

“When we disinvest for nearly 10 years in the maintenance of public transportation, we are asking for problems,” also denounced the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

In writing, Minister Geneviève Guilbault responds that the government is investing “record sums in public transport”. “More than any government before us, we finance the operations of transport companies, as well as the maintenance and development of public transport infrastructure,” she maintains, recalling that “investment choices and priorities are identified in collaboration with the STM, which has budgets for maintaining and developing the assets.”

The accelerated shuttle route

Furthermore, the STM announced on Monday a new route for its shuttles between Jean-Talon and Saint-Michel which will “significantly reduce travel time”. Until now, heading east, the shuttle had to change streets several times between the two stations. The route will now only take Bélanger, Papineau and Jean-Talon. Same in the opposite direction, towards the west.

It is estimated that it will take an average of 15 minutes east and 20 minutes west. The delay will be longer towards the west due to the presence of certain construction sites. By metro, the same journey takes approximately four minutes.

Buses will continue to be in service from the opening to closing of the metro, with one passing every five to seven minutes, on average.