Transit agency promises improved bus, métro service
Wait times on Orange and Green Lines will be cut to 5 minutes most weekdays
The Société de transport de Montréal is promising more frequent bus and métro service next year. In its $1.46-billion budget for 2019 unveiled Thursday, the STM has committed to increasing service on the Orange and Green métro lines, reducing wait times to five minutes at most on weekdays and weeknights. Métro wait times will be reduced further during morning and evening peak periods, with a train every two-and-a-half minutes. The changes represent a 2.2 per cent increase in service over 2018 — good news for riders of the Green and Orange Lines, especially those who switch at the Berri-UQAM station and often experience backlogs waiting on the platform for a train. “For the customer, it will be a very noticeable increase,” said STM chairperson Philippe Schnobb. Schnobb said the city’s increased contribution will help the agency improve service — but so will the delivery of two bonus AZUR trains. The Bombardier/Alstom consortium is to provide the two extra trains early next year as a penalty for delivering the first six trains late. The agency also pledges to deliver 83,000 additional hours of bus service — a 1.6 per cent increase. However, the STM will have to do this with fewer buses in its fleet. It will have 1,808 buses in 2019, down from the 1,827 that were budgeted for 2018, according to documents made public Thursday. Meanwhile, 125 new hybrid buses with air conditioning are being purchased to replace older buses that are going out of service. STM director general Luc Tremblay said the fleet is in constant evolution, so it’s normal to see a small decrease as older buses are retired. He said the agency will improve the maintenance of its buses in order to get more on the road. The agency is working to ready its garages and maintenance centres for 300 new hybrid buses — a campaign pledge of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante — which are to begin arriving in 2020. To do that, it must add capacity to existing garages, and build a new one in the eastern part of the city. The STM’s capital works budget earmarks $370 million to build a garage by 2022 that will store and repair 250 hybrid and electric buses. Tremblay said the agency will be in hiring mode next year to add 600 drivers and 200 maintenance workers. The 300 buses represent a 15 per cent increase in the STM’s fleet, as they will not be used to replace old buses. Tremblay said once the new buses arrive, there will be a noted improvement in bus service, because the average age of the fleet will be much lower. A younger fleet means relatively fewer buses in the garage because of breakdowns. The capital works budget includes $580 million to purchase 17 new AZUR trains to be put into service on the Green Line starting in 2020. These are in addition to the 54 trains the STM has already purchased to be used mostly on the Orange Line, with the last of those to be delivered early next year. The STM will conduct studies and begin acquiring the land necessary for the 5.8-kilometre extension of the métro’s Blue Line to Anjou. The province announced this year it will fund the project. The STM’s capital works budget estimates the extension will cost roughly $3.9 billion. There is still no date set to begin construction. Two more métro stations are to get elevators: the Blue Line portion of Jean-Talon station, and Jean-Drapeau station on the Yellow Line. For the first time, Montrealers will be able to see how much of their tax dollars go to fund public transit. A new line on tax bills will show property owners what part of their tax bill is dedicated to the Authorité régionale de transport métropolitain, the regional planning body for public transit. Montreal is contributing $599.2 million to the ARTM — a $24.9-million increase. Roughly $11.4 million will come from property tax bills. The STM’s $1.46-billion budget represents a 4.3 per cent increase over this year’s $1.4-billion budget. The money is allocated by the ARTM, which doles out money to all regional transit agencies and sets the rates for transit fares. Its budget is to be unveiled in the coming days or weeks.