The STM has a rich history, amply witnessed by the archives in its possession. These go back as far as 1861, the dawn of urban public transit in Montreal. Since then, many transit companies, first private, then public, have administered public transit in Montreal and its surrounding communities. Transit vehicles have evolved considerably since the first horse-drawn omnibuses, as the network has adapted to the city’s development. The STM’s archives reveal the evolution of public transit over all these years. Nor have they taught us all they have to teach! The archives contain little-known documents that may someday provide researchers with insight on lesser-known chapters of the history of public transit in Montreal.

Where to find out more
For information on the STM archives, contact the Secretariat and Legal Affairs Department, whose personnel will be happy to discuss your request and help you find the material you need. They can be contacted Monday to Friday, except holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mailing address

Secrétariat et affaires juridiques
Société de transport de Montréal
800 De La Gauchetière Street West
Room 6600
Montreal (Québec)
H5A 1J6

Phone: 514 280-6109
Fax: 514 280-6126
E-mail: archives@stm.info

Each year, the STM publishes an annual report and a budget containing a great deal of information often requested by the public. For a copy of these documents, call general information at:

STM-INFO - Press 8 for English, option 4 and option 3 (514 786-4636 + 4 + 3)

Costs
By appointment, consulting the STM’s archives is free of charge. However, there are costs for reproducing documents, which varies according to the nature of the document. For example, fees for photocopying are $0.32 per page, with a minimum charge of $6,40 (in other words, the first 20 pages are free).

The STM’s archive collections

• The STM’s archives come from the following twelve collections (with the institution’s years of operation):
• Montreal Street Railway Company (including the Montreal City Passenger Railway), 1861-1911
• Montreal Park and Island Railway Company, 1885-1911
• Montreal Terminal Railway Company (including the Montreal Island Beltline Railway Company), 1893-1911
• Public Service Corporation (including the Suburban Tramway and Power Company), 1904-1911
• Montreal Tramways Company, 1911-1951
• Commission de transport de Montréal, 1951-1969
• Commission de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal, 1970-1985
• Société de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal, 1985-2002
• Association mutuelle de bienfaisance des employés du tramway de Montréal, 1903-
• Commission des tramways de Montréal, 1918-1951
• Verchères, Chambly, and Laprairie Tramways Company, 1917-1937
• Bureau de transport métropolitain (including the Bureau du métro de la Ville de Montréal), 1961-1996

A few statistics

• Number of collections 12
• Approximate shelf length of documents, in metres 420
• Approximate number of binders 1000
• Approximate number of photographic documents 45000
• Approximate shelf length of cartographic documents, in metres 200
• Approximate sound and film documents 200
• Date of oldest document 1836

Archive acquisition
The STM acquires archives by the normal process of annual delivery of documents from the company’s administrative services to its archives.

The STM does not usually acquire external documents for its archives. However, the STM occasionally accepts donations of documents from individuals and organizations, if they are pertinent to the history of urban transit in Montreal and surrounding cities. Parties interested in making a donation should contact the STM’s Secretariat and Legal Affairs Department. Please note that the STM does not buy documents.

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