A THREE-YEAR programme of renewals and upgrading for the Montréal metro was announced by Société de Transport de Montréal on December 12. Total value of the capital programme is put at C$1·1bn, of which 57·4% will go on the metro.
According to STM Chairman Claude Dauphin, ’in 2006 customers will see the results of our efforts to modernise the transit system’, including further refurbished MR73 cars and a new control centre. A programme of station modernisation will include the installation of 43 new escalators, a new public address system and more video surveillance cameras. Work is already underway on a new fare collection system.
The works are drawn from Phases I and II of STM’s Réno-Systèmes long-term capital plan, which has a total cost of C$2·6bn. Phase III envisages replacement of the 336 MR-63 cars - which are now 40 years old - and installation of a new signalling system. This will require extra finance from the provincial and federal governments.
