Montreal public transit services may be drastically cut if Quebec government doesn't cover deficit

Montreal's Metro could close at 11 p.m. Intercity buses could stop at 9 p.m., and entire lines could be cut from the public transit network.

These are the types of measures public transit authorities could resort to in the greater Montreal area if the Legault government does not increase its financial support, according to a confidential document obtained by Radio-Canada, which explicitly suggests a return to the 1990s — an era when budgetary cuts led to a significant reduction in transit services.

Public transit officials have been on high alert since Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced plans to cover only 20 per cent of their estimated $2.5 billion deficit over the next five years.

While the minister has since indicated that was a preliminary offer as negotiations get underway, the budgetary shortfall for the regional transit authority, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), would still be around $275 million for 2024 alone.

Despite that bleak outlook, a spokesperson for the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) remains optimistic.

"We have no intention of implementing these hypothetical scenarios," said Justine Lord-Dufour in an email. "Our desire is to increase our range of services to meet the population's needs in terms of public transit and sustainable mobility."

Those hypothetical scenarios include not just closing the Metro early, but opening only at 9 a.m. on the weekends. Trains would also be withdrawn from the Orange, Green and Yellow lines, affecting the frequency of service.

As for buses, the number of trips would decrease from 18,400 to 15,600 on weekdays, from 12,700 to 10,800 on Saturdays, and from 11,700 to 9,900 on Sundays.

To compensate for this reduction, the target number of passengers per bus would increase from 35 to 45, leading to more crowding. At night, the frequency of service would be reduced by 33 per cent.

"The effort demanded by Quebec will take us back to 1991-1992," says the document obtained by Radio-Canada.

In Laval, Que., just north of Montreal, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) may have to cut 18 jobs by 2024. Eventually, the STL may lay off as many as 125 employees, the document says.

To compensate for this lack of employees, the STL could either reduce 50 bus trips during rush hour on weekdays or cut 150 trips outside of rush hour, the document says.

As for the South Shore, the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) predicts 6,000 to 10,000 riders will be affected due to service slowdowns, or the complete cessation of bus lines in some neighbourhoods.

The RTL also anticipates significant layoffs, leading to an increased risk of strikes, the document says.