New life for MR-63 cars

Texte important

Latest update!

313 MR-63 métro cars have been withdrawn and recycled.

Did you know?

The withdrawal of the MR-63 cars is closely linked to the arrival of the AZUR métro cars. Before removing train units, we have to ensure that we have enough trainsets to provide service. Then, we choose which train units to remove based on when they are due for their annual maintenance.

Seven finalist projects

Following the call for proposals launched in March 2016 to give a second life to the MR-63 métro cars, we announced the finalists that were selected among the thirty submissions received. We evaluated all submissions according to the same criteria: image and heritage; environment and sustainability; quality of concept; guarantee of project delivery and quality of proposal; feasibility and logistics.

Projects currently underway

Over the coming months, the finalists will have to meet certain conditions to receive final approval for their project. These include land-use approval, handling and transport plan, taking possession, and respect for the public and collective character of the project.

Most of the of finalists signed the sales contract and are moving forward with the work to complete their project.

A first batch of materials, in this case a group of 16 doors and their opening and closing mechanisms, was delivered to artist Michel de Broin, who is creating a sculpture for the Quartier des spectacles. His work, entitled Seuils, will be displayed this fall.


Consult the accessibility page for more info on the external medias.

See «Rencontre avec Michel de Broin» on YouTube

Signature large-scale projects

  • MR-63 project: eight cars integrated into a multidisciplinary building in the Quartier de l’innovation
  • ÆDIFICA project: a dozen cars recycled into key components of a private and public multifunctional complex

Projects for diverse purposes

  • Collège Montmorency: a car for fire prevention training
  • FAB LAB Polytechnique Montréal: a car for a coffee and work spot
  • Jardins de Métis: a car for a display featuring its link with Montréal

Artistic projects

  • Le TAZ: a car and some bench seats for an installation
  • Michel De Broin: 16 doors for the work entitled Seuils

Next steps

Over the coming months, the finalists will have to meet certain conditions to receive final approval for their project. These include land-use approval, handling and transport plan, taking possession, and respect for the public and collective character of the project.

Selection process

The selection committee will start by reviewing submissions based on the evaluation criteria. The results of their analysis will be presented to the STM's executive officers who, in turn, will submit a recommendation to the STM’s board of directors. The board will choose the finalists and its decisions in this matter will be final. The STM reserves the right not to select any project if none adequately meet all evaluation criteria.

Selection committee

The selection committee consists of:

  • One STM representative representing each of the following branches: sustainable development, environment, architecture, major projects, métro rolling stock, marketing, arts and heritage
  • One external member representing the design and architecture community
  • One external member representing the arts and heritage assets community
  • One external member representing the business community


Evaluation criteria

We remind you that, first and foremost, bidders will be fully responsible for all risks related to their project, thereby excluding the STM of any and all liability.

Below is a list of the criteria used to evaluate project proposals, regardless of whether the projects are temporary or permanent:

  • Image and heritage: the project must have a positive impact on the STM’s corporate image, as well as public scope and reach, and provide a collective experience for all.
  • Environment and sustainability: the project must have a minimal impact on the environment and community, show that it complies with any objectives set for the deployment zone, and include a plan for the final disposal of the MR-63 cars.
  • Quality of concept: the project must be achievable (demonstrate its feasibility) and fully detailed, with its objectives and target market clearly and precisely identified.
  • Guarantee of project delivery and quality of proposal: the document must reflect the bidder’s clear understanding of all parameters, solid framework for the project, as well as financial and technical ability to carry out the project.
  • Feasibility and logistics: the project’s time frame and deployment must take into consideration the availability of the MR-63 cars.  

Do you know the story of the MR-63 cars?

Texte important

Did you know that? 

  • The term MR-63 refers to matériel roulant, meaning rolling stock, from 1963
  •  A train consists of one, two or three units
  • A unit, in turn, consists of three métro cars, two motor and one trailer
  • A motor car has four electric traction motors and a driving cab
  • A trailer car has no traction of its own, but it holds auxiliary equipment, like compressors, batteries and more

Millions of people like you ride the métro each day: to work, to the movies or a show, to cheer on the Montréal Canadiens hockey team or to meet with a friend at a restaurant, no matter how you use it, our métro is part of your daily life.

From the very beginning, the MR-63 cars have been an integral part of highly successful events in Montréal, from Expo 67 to the 1976 Olympics: two major events in the city’s history that attracted millions of visitors from Montréal and around the world. And still, today, from the Montréal en lumière festival in winter to the International Jazz Festival in summer, you can always count on our métro to get you there!

Now, our MR-63 métro cars have reached the end of their service life. Did you know that each one has travelled some 4,000,000 kilometres1? Yes, and now it's time to let them go. No need to worry, though. Their withdrawal from service will be gradual, as the new AZUR métro cars are delivered, and the same level of métro service will be maintained throughout for customers.

For the STM, the whole project involves:

  • Disposing of the MR-63 métro cars
  • Managing our stock of MR-63 spare parts
  • Optimizing any earnings from this project
  • Adhereing to principles of sustainability and sound environmental management

One of the six priorities identified in the STM’s 2020 Strategic Plan makes sustainable development central to all corporate decisions. In its 2020 Sustainable Development Plan, the STM officially committed to continuously improve upon the environmental, social and economic performance of its business processes and activities.

Indeed, the STM is aiming to divert 75% of residual materials from final disposal and to include sustainability criteria in 90% of all purchase or disposal contracts by 2020. It is therefore essential to act upon principles of sustainability in the process of permanently eliminating the MR-63 rolling stock.

For the STM, it is important to properly plan for the dismantlement and reclamation of these cars by including environmental and social considerations, particularly the 3R-RD principle.

So we undertook a multi-step process to determine our best options:

  • We consulted with the STM’s internal and external stakeholders
  • We consulted with experts in sustainability issues
  • We carried out a benchmarking study with other companies and transit operators around the world to learn about best practices and services available on the market
  • Lastly, we issued a call for proposals

And from an historical conservation perspective, we also:

  • Approached a number of museums
  •  Listened to comments and suggestions from the public

3R-RD refers to the progressive order in which the management of residual materials and hazardous waste materials is preferably carried out: reduction, reuse, recycling, reclamation and, lastly, disposal. This strategy allows for the recovery of some residual materials instead of outright final disposal of them all.


REDUCTION AT SOURCE

The first step calls for avoiding the production of residual materials from the initial design, through manufacturing, distribution and consumption of a given product. However, as the MR-63 cars were built from 1963 to 1967, this principle cannot apply to today’s disposal process.

REUSE / REPURPOSE

Reusing means giving an object the opportunity to be used again, without significantly modifying its appearance or properties. A few options were considered, such as:   

  • Selling them to other public transit companies

We got in touch with transit authorities in four cities, namely Mexico City, Santiago, Marseille and Lyon, as they also operate their métro system with rubber tires, and offered to sell them our MR-63 cars.

But, because our cars are at the end of their service life, especially in terms of their technology, all responses were negative. Other properties, like their non-standard gauge and the fact they were never designed for outdoor operations, also limited their potential for reuse.

  •  Issuing a request for proposals 

This step was intended to attract the attention of business enterprises specialized in recycling that are capable of handling the disposal of MR-63 métro cars or of any other company interested in acquiring one or more cars and repurposing them as part of a special project.

  • Reusing compatible spare parts on MR-73 cars

We conducted a study that enabled us to confirm that some spare parts for MR-63 rolling stock can be reused for MR-73 maintenance and repairs.

  • Exhibiting in a museum

These cars have been a part of daily life for most Montrealers for the past 50 years. They made public transit history. For this reason, we approached Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, to ensure one car was added to their collection.

RECYCLING

This process aims to transform residual materials in such a way as to reintroduce them into the production cycle of an altogether new product.

In light of the sheer number of MR-63 cars, recycling is indispensable to successfully maximize the reclamation of materials and reduce our environmental footprint.

We issued a call for tenders to obtain the services of a company that can see to the collection, transportation, dismantling, and reclamation (through recycling) of residual materials from MR-63 cars according to the 3R-RD principle.

Bidders will be evaluated by a selection committee that will base its decision on specific criteria, including sustainability, ability to deliver, previous related experience and cost.

RECLAIMING

One such process involves the recovery of energy produced by the chemical transformation of residual materials (e.g. combustion of residual materials to produce energy). Some hard-to-recycle métro car components could serve to feed cement factory furnaces.

FINAL DISPOSAL

As a last resort, any and all residual material that cannot be recycled will be sent to a landfill site for final disposal.

Working together, the STM’s engineering department and the Centre de transfert technologique en écologie industrielle (CTTÉI) identified the nature of MR-63 components and their weight, in order to draw up a complete list of all materials and ensure the final disposal of the MR-63 cars was responsibly handled. Their estimates gave guidance and shape to our dismantling and reclamation process.

Impressive numbers

The combined weight of our fleet of MR-63 cars is estimated at over 7,200 metric tons! Below is a chart illustrating the main materials found in our MR-63 métro cars.

Metals
(parts made of steel, copper, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.) 

89.8 %

Other materials

Wood (underneath floorings and brake shoes):  1.1%
Composite materials (interior panels, floors, etc.):  0.8%
Other materials (electronic components, polycarbonates, lubricants, etc.):  1.9%
Rubber (tires, suspension, seals):  3.8%

10.2 %

To find out more about our options for these cars, we looked into what other transit authorities had done when they were faced with the disposal of a large quantity of métro railcars.

  • Paris hired a recycling firm to dispose of its older rolling stock, paying careful attention to how hazardous residual materials were handled and processed.
  • London reused some cars to create an artists’ village but, as with Paris, most of the cars were recycled.
  • Buenos Aires donated two cars to a rail club, converted two others into diesel-electric buses and restored yet another two for tourist lines. As for the rest of their fleet, they are still looking for an ideal solution.
  • New York, on the other hand, sank a few thousand such cars offshore after carefully removing all traces of hazardous residual materials. Contrary to the Big Apple, the STM chose not to use its métro cars to create artificial reefs in surrounding waters. Indeed, our cars were designed for indoor use, inside tunnels, sheltered from the weather, and by their very nature would quickly disintegrate after being submerged. Skeptical? Read this related article to find out more.
Top of page