How the ARTM is helping to optimize Montreal’s public transit system
Despite so much positive news about public transit in Montreal over the course of the last year — from plans for the new REM train to the extension of the métro’s blue line — little has been said about the body deeply involved in such major projects. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) has been in operation since June 2017, and within that one-year period it has already made progress toward improving the city’s public transit system.
WHO THEY ARE
The organization’s role is to plan, organize, finance and promote transit throughout Montreal. The ARTM collaborates with local transit agencies including exo, Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL), Société de transport de Laval (STL), and Société de transport de Montréal (STM), to which it entrusts the day-today operations of the public transit networks within the greater metropolitan area of Montreal.
THEIR MANDATE
The ARTM’s mandate is a grand one: to optimize service, ensure harmony between the city’s many transit systems, and work toward the improvement and implementation of new, sustainable solutions for public transit in the metropolitan area, while consistently working with partner transit organizations to offer simple, integrated, and efficient services to citizens. PLANNING MAJOR WORKS
Together with various levels of government and partner transit organizations, the ARTM is working on elements of a handful of mammoth projects slated to significantly improve public transit in different parts of Montreal and surrounding areas. Among the projects currently in the works are:
REM light-rail train line
The new REM light-rail train line will link the South Shore, downtown, and West Island (including the airport), vastly improving the commute for thousands of daily users. Ground broke on the project in April, and trains are expected to start rolling in 2021. The ARTM’s mandate is to plan how the new services will be integrated with existing networks and harmonize pricing for all networks.
Blue métro line and Pie-IX Boulevard
In April, commuters from Montreal’s east end received some long awaited news when it was announced that five new stations would be added to the métro’s blue line. A new rapid bus service project on Pie-IX Boulevard is also expected to have a substantial impact on traffic flow in the area. These projects address significant transit concerns for users, including substantiating a north-south link in the area, and are expected to vastly facilitate the commute for thousands of daily users. The role of the ARTM is to coordinate and orchestrate the planning and implementation of these projects, while entrusting local transit agencies with the mandate to build and operate them.
ORGANIZING AND PROMOTING SERVICES
Chrono, which is a free mobile application owned by the ARTM, harnesses technology to facilitate travel for transit users. Chrono allows users to consult bus, métro and train schedules at any time, even offline, on all transport networks. Moreover, the mobile application also tracks the route and progress, in real time, of several bus and train networks. Gone are the days of waiting at a stop and wondering when your transport will arrive; now the answer is simply a click away. The app also helps users plan the most efficient routes in order to get from Point A to B, and provides notices and updates about service disruptions when they occur. The app has been extremely well received by transit users, and it’s expected to continue to evolve and improve the customer experience even more in the coming months and years.
Ticket off ices
ARTM has also made changes to facilitate access to Montreal’s network of transit systems improving the ticket office’s offerings. Beginning this summer, the 11 locations in which tickets are sold will now also sell passes for the Laval and Longueuil networks, as well as TRAIN and TRAM tickets. Another welcome change since September 2017: discount prices for full-time students, regardless of their age.
FINANCING & CO-ORDINATING
The ARTM is the body responsible for securing and distributing financing for these and other major projects. Aside from requiring the co-operation of three levels of government, in addition to local organizations, the amount of co-ordination and the sheer volume of work being done by the ARTM to plan, orchestrate, secure funding, and execute these major projects is substantial. Just getting all parties involved to come together behind these collective efforts is a feat in itself, and a testament to the ARTM’s role as a facilitator and coordinator. Aside from seeing these projects through, the organization is working steadfastly with its partner agencies to ensure that the commuter experience remains as uninterrupted and seamless as possible while these major works get underway.
LOOKING AHEAD
In addition to its ongoing and previously planned projects, the ARTM is also working on its long-term vision for the future of public transit in Montreal. In fact, the organization is tasked with creating the first-ever strategic plan for transit in the metropolitan area over the next decade. The plan is being developed in concert with local transit agencies and other partners, as well as a slew of public consultations that are designed to help ensure end users will have their say in the planning process regarding transit networks in the foreseeable future.
For more information on the ARTM, ongoing transit projects, and the organization’s vision for Montreal, visit