Latest news with #MR-73
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH| Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. RAPLIQ is awaiting a decision on a 2017 class-action lawsuit it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is." CBC News reached out to Quebec's Transport Ministry for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH | Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Public transit 'losing ground' in Quebec as provincial budget focuses on other priorities 23 days ago Duration 2:08 Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is."
CBC
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Montreal pushes province for new Metro cars as aging fleet exceeds 50 years
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is urging the Quebec government to prioritize replacing the city's oldest Metro cars, which have already outlived their life expectancy by 10 years. Accompanied by officials with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) during a news conference on Wednesday, the mayor called on Quebec to add a train-replacement project to the province's infrastructure plan (PQI), warning that the trains must be replaced by 2036. By then, the MR-73 Metro cars will be about 60 years old. A spokesperson for Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault told Radio-Canada that a comprehensive analysis of transportation infrastructure needs is currently underway and that selected projects will be included in the next PQI. Guilbault has met with the STM, the spokesperson said, and decisions will be announced in the upcoming provincial budget. Plante said the replacement process needs to start now if there's any hope of completing it by 2036. She emphasized that these Metro cars, in service for over 50 years, are among the oldest in the world. STM board chair Éric Alan Caldwell said their life has already been extended during the last Metro train upgrade in 2014. "At the time, the decision was made to extend the life of the trains, which typically last 40 years, to 60 years. But there is a limit," Caldwell stated. Caldwell said it took 12 years the last time, from the establishment of a project office to the delivery of the AZUR trains. Plante is calling for a partnership with the Quebec-based Alstom, which has historically manufactured Montreal's Metro cars. Plante said announcing the Metro car replacement project would guarantee jobs for workers in La Pocatière, Que., in the coming years. "What we want is for these Metro cars to be built not in India, not in the United States, but right here in La Pocatière," Plante said. "This is not a luxury. As the trains near the end of their lifespan, there is a greater risk of breakdowns or failures." Bolstering local economy This comes as Premier François Legault is looking to create more jobs in the province by accelerating infrastructure projects like health, education and transportation to respond to the U.S. tariff threat. The STM is asking the province to invest $40 million of the needed $46 million now so it can start the process. The whole project should cost nearly $11 billion, officials say. The new Metro cars will have improved capacity, better security and more comfort, Plante said. "We will be able to improve the capacity of our network by 37 per cent," she said. "So it's really a good project that must go forward as soon as possible." A public transit advocacy group is on board with the project, saying the older cars cause a lot of problems. "It's mostly [on] the Green line that there are so many shutdowns," said Philippe Jacques of Trajectoire Québec. It will be worse in the coming years, he said, and this will discourage people from riding the Metro. Instead, they will rely on their cars, he said, so the replacement is needed.
