STM says Montreal Metro needs far more than Quebec is offering to keep wheels turning

Earlier this year, Montreal’s public transit authority said billions are needed to repair the Metro network, but Quebec’s new budget sets aside a mere $1.2 billion for public transit provincewide. 

“We need double what we have,” said Aref Salem, chair of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) board.

The STM says underground stations are falling apart. For example, concrete was ripped out of the ceiling in Place-des-Arts station because there were concerns it would fall on passengers. Some ceilings have green, corrugated panels to catch leaks from overhead pipes.

And that’s not the worst case. The STM has a rating system for the state of its Metro stations from A to E, and 35 out of 68 stations are rated D (bad) or E (very bad).

Place-des-Arts has a D rating.

Earlier this year, water infiltration shut down the Yellow line during a Monday rush hour. And in 2024, structural damage at St-Michel station forced officials to shut it down for more than a month.

Salem said at least $680 million is needed for infrastructure and maintenance by 2030. 

“Today the deficit of the assets maintained is around $7 billion,” he said.

That will go up to $9 billion by 2030 if something isn't done now, Salem said, and that’s why the STM is asking the provincial and federal governments to come to an agreement as soon as possible.

“We have issues with the equipment that we have. The infrastructure too,” said Salem. “The needs are more than what you get in this budget.”

Brian Nash is with the public transit advocacy group, Trajectoire Québec. He said shutting down stations while building new ones along the Blue line makes little sense. 

He said service shutdowns because of disrepair cause lasting delays, but it’s not only the stations that are deteriorating. 

While the more than 600 AZUR train cars in operation on the Orange line are new, he said the older MR-73 trains are some of the oldest subway cars in the world. Those MR-73 trains break down 10 times more than the AZUR cars. 

“That’s also an urgent matter that we need to focus on, the replacement of those trains. They are way past their cycle of life right now,” said Nash.