Blue line extension

Following efforts to optimize the Blue line extension project, the locations of certain operational infrastructure have changed. The Anjou terminal station will have two entrance buildings to serve the areas located west and east of Highway 25. We reviewed the locations of the infrastructure needed to operate the métro in Anjou and created a final plan after studying several scenarios with the project partners.

Work in Anjou is currently expected to begin in 2024. Traditional excavation methods will be used east of Highway 25, as the tunnel boring machine will exit the ground west of the highway. Between now and the start of the work, surveys or drilling could be required to help engineers complete the plans and specifications. This work would be occasional and not very disruptive.

This month, we will begin preparatory work for the construction of the future Viau station. The work will first take place mainly on Viau Boulevard, where teams will demolish the central median. Then, all southbound lanes will be closed between Jean-Talon and De Paisley streets. Between now and fall 2023, this major work will allow us to relocate underground utilities (water, sewage and cabling) out of the way of the future station excavation site.

For full information on this worksite, check the web page for the future Viau station.

Following the expert committee’s work to optimize the project budget, some parameters have been revised.

Key details: 

• Construction of all five new universally accessible stations up to Anjou as planned
• Reconfiguration of the Pie-IX station bus terminal
• Removal of lower-traffic secondary entrance buildings (Viau and Langelier)
• Sharing of the planned secondary entrance building at Lacordaire station with CDPQ Infra to be integrated with the REM de l’Est.
• Repositioning of the Anjou station with entrance buildings on each side of Highway 25.
• Removal of park-and-ride lot in the Anjou area
• Use of a tunnel boring machine to build the tunnel

Next steps: 

• Preparatory work in the Viau area in summer 2022
• Commissioning of the extension in 2029

In the spirit of agility and collaboration, every effort has been made to make this project the best that it can be and to bring us closer to this long-awaited asset for the east end of Montréal.

The STM is now the owner of Le Boulevard shopping centre, having completed the expropriation process started earlier in the project timeline. The mall will be able to remain in operation during the expected construction period of the new Pie-IX station.

This month, the second preparatory worksite for the extension of the Blue line will get up and running at the intersection of Jean-Talon Street and Lacordaire Boulevard. Between now and the spring of 2022, this major work will make it possible to relocate underground utilities (water, sewage and cabling) out of the way of the future station excavation site. Two other locations, namely Viau and Langelier, will undergo similar work later this year.

To learn all the details on this worksite, check the web page of the future Lacordaire station.

The chosen station names will go down in history as a mark of Montrealers’ collective imagination. They should be announced later this year.

The naming committee is composed of several STM representatives, a City of Montréal elected official, representatives from boroughs where the extension is being built and experts in place naming and urban planning. Montréal’s women, cultural communities and Indigenous peoples are also represented on the committee, and proposals from these groups will be given particular consideration.

The beginning of this process marks one more step toward the project’s completion!

In February and March, a public consultation process took place in the form of several information evenings and input sessions. The goal of this community dialogue was to design a project that would integrate seamlessly into the lives of Montrealers.

The Commission leading this process has submitted its report and issued 43 recommendations that will allow us to enrich the project and produce infrastructure that meets the expectations of our customers and citizens. Both the Commission’s report and the STM’s action plan in response to it are available at www.stm.info/consultation.

There’s no doubt about it—the Blue line extension project is right on track!

The work will mainly involve relocating urban public utilities, giving us free rein to begin the massive excavation that will be needed to build the new infrastructure.

Other target areas

In the next few months, we will also begin work in three other locations, near the future Viau, Lacordaire and Langelier stations. Information on these worksites will be available a few weeks before the start of the work.

The information evenings and input sessions are now closed. We would like to thank you warmly for your relevant and useful comments. This dialogue with the community is essential to helping us design a project that will integrate seamlessly into the lives of Montrealers.

The Commission’s report will be available at stm.info/consultation this summer.

Two new teams of architects have started working on the drawings for the buildings of the future Viau and Lacordaire stations. These complete the design brigade which started work at the end of 2019. An initial draft of the architectural design of these stations will be presented to the public in spring 2020.

Teams of architects have started working on the drawings for the buildings of the future Pie-IX, Langelier and Anjou stations. By the end of the year, two other groups of architects will join the design team and create Viau and Lacordaire stations. An initial draft of the architectural design of these stations will be presented to the public in spring 2020.

In addition to conducting ongoing above-ground seismic surveys and boring tests all along the Blue line extension route, we are collecting geotechnical data at Saint-Michel station.

Our teams will be conducting surveying work on the Saint-Michel tail tracks to gather highly detailed data on the existing tunnel and plan the connection to the new extented tunnel. As the heat released by the trains stationed on the tail tracks interferes with the accuracy of the laser instruments used for surveying, we will have to close the tail tracks on September 21 and 22.

Minor impact on your trips at this station

As trains will not be able to pull onto the tail tracks to turn around, customers going toward Snowdon will exceptionnally have to board on the exit platform. The train will then switch tracks when it departs toward Snowdon.

As part of the input data collection, geotechnical tests have begun along the corridor between Saint-Michel métro station and Highway 25 in Anjou.

The purpose of the tests is to classify soil and rock in the selected area in preparation for the construction of the underground tunnel and stations. The tests comprise two major phases, namely seismic surveys and boring tests.

1. Seismic surveys involve sending waves into the ground along a conducting wire connected to sensors. This non-intrusive, quick, one-time method limits the number of boring tests required for classification that will be conducted in a second phase of exploratory work.

2. Boring tests allow us to obtain more detailed data on soil and rock conditions, such as their resistance and profile. These characteristics serve as input data for the engineers who will design the plans and specifications.

Born in 1981 in the Huron-Wendat community of Wendake, near Quebec City, Ludovic Boney was raised and went to school in the province’s capital. The artist has long been drawn to public art, namely “art that is accessible to the users of our parks, streets and cities.” Since 2015, he has been based in Lévis, where he works on large-scale public art projects and regularly exhibits his work in galleries and artist-run centres.

His artistic approach is often inspired by places and their prevailing atmosphere. For the future Pie-IX station, he will create a colourful piece that will be embedded into the structure of the walls. This is an uncommon practice in the public art world, and it will have its fair share of challenges. But for Boney, obstacles of this kind fuel his work. The Pie-IX station project is a dream come true for him: “This is a unique opportunity, since artists don’t usually have any say on the space intended for the work. In some cases, the building has already been completed and delivered. With this piece, I’ll be working with architects to create an artwork that will be integrated fully into the station.”

The artwork will reveal itself differently to passersby, depending on the lighting and their movements, allowing them to discover the work’s many subtleties.

Recent works of the artist

Sous l'oeil des spectateurs, Parc de la Rivière-Etchemin / Ville de Lévis

Réaction en chaîne, École de technologie supérieure

Une Cosmologie sans genèse, Musée national des beaux-arts

To learn more about the artist

Marc Séguin was born in Ottawa in 1970. He received his BFA from Concordia University, where he studied under Guido Molinari. He currently lives and works in Montréal. Already in 1996, his first solo exhibition featured large-scale paintings with astonishing plastic features. He is also the author of several novels.

For the future Langelier station, Séguin will create a hand-painted cyclorama with a narrative framework. The piece will be over 100 metres long, which will make its integration into the station a major task. However, the artist, working in synergy with the architects, has already started thinking about possible strategies.

For Séguin, public art allows him to connect with customers and citizens and bring art into their lives. By creating this work of fine art, the likes of which exist almost nowhere else in métro systems worldwide, the artist is fulfilling a long-held dream: “It’s a privilege to have access to the public in an urban setting. People will live with the work. They will see a part of it in the morning, and another part in the evening coming back the other way. There’s a very interesting and inspiring immersive quality to it.”

Recent work of the artist

Anima

To learn more about the artist

Alain Paiement was born in Montréal in 1960, where he currently lives and works, having spent over a decade in Europe. He is an adjunct professor at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques of the Université du Québec à Montréal. His practice has spanned painting, installation, photography and video, with an ongoing interest in geography and mapping processes.

The artist is delighted to create a project for the métro: “As a child, when taking the métro, I saw the artworks in each station, and I thought that one day I’d like to make one.”

Paiement is interested in public art because it is accessible to all and lets him reach people outside a designated cultural framework. For the Montréal métro, he will create a bright high-rise piece that will be integrated into the station. It will shift as natural light passes through it.

For him, art is a vehicle for interrelation. He aims to represent the multiplicity of cultures through the use of various forms and textures. Métro customers will be able to discover—and rediscover—the work during their visits, as the shapes and patterns will vary, appearing differently depending on their location in the station and the time of day.

Recent works of the artist

Bleu de bleu

Ondes croisées

Tessellations sans fin

Visit the artist’s website at alainpaiement.com to read his statement and learn more about his work.

Jocelyne Alloucherie lives and works in Montréal. Through complex configurations, her work explores conceptual and poetic notions of images, objects and places. Her work can be found in many art centres and galleries in New York and Montréal, but also across Canada, France, Italy and Spain, to name a few. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2008.

For the future Viau station, she aims to create a clear, open piece, that lets everyone feel engaged in their own way. It will be integrated harmoniously with the unique architecture of the station.

Alloucherie’s artistic approach also draws on the concept of a journey. Conscious that métro customers are always walking and on the go, she wants the artwork to provide them with special moments as they pass through the station.

The artist will use photography as a starting point for her work, but the images will be reworked to evoke landscapes that do not belong to any specific place and that are open to interpretation.

Recent works of the artist

Terre de sable

Regarder les pommetiers

To learn more about the artist, visit jocelynealloucherie.com

Born in 1974 in Montréal, Nadia Myre is an Indigenous visual artist from Quebec. Her practice has been inspired by participant involvement to initiate dialogues on identity, resilience and politics of belonging. She has received many awards, and her work can be found in the permanent exhibitions of several museums. Myre is also the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts Practice.

Her art focuses on the point of contact between different cultures and on indigenousness. The métro is a strong cultural symbol. By creating a piece for the future Anjou station, she aims to express the complexity of the multicultural social fabric of Montréal.

For this piece, Myre draws her inspiration from the history of the place, people of the neighbourhood, and symbols—both individual and collective: “I’m interested in symbols that are repeated from one person to another, no matter where they are in the world. Symbols can be a language of universality.”

The artist has done extensive research on weaving and beading on large surfaces. In the coming months, we will learn more about her plans for the artwork and its integration into the station’s architecture.

Recent works of the artist

Pimisi Station

Dans l'attente

Tree of Shifting Forms

Learn more about the artist

Since the late 1970s, any building or extension of a public building financed by the Quebec government must include an artwork by a Quebec artist, valued at roughly 1% of the construction budget. As such, each new station on the Blue line will include an original Quebec artwork.

To be considered, artists had to be registered in the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications artist database. A committee created by the Ministry first narrowed down the list of more than 600 applicants to 20 names. These artists were then asked to submit a proposal outlining their artistic vision for the new stations, remaining anonymous in the process. For each station, the jury, which included the station’s design architect, selected one artist.

Montrealers already know that every station in the Montreal métro is unique. But did you know that it is a global trailblazer in terms of integrating artworks in its stations? Since its opening, the network has had a long tradition of inviting artists to work with design architects to create artworks that reflect the identities of the stations, making our network a true underground museum!

According to Art Public Montréal, public art “refers to all works of art in public spaces, whether outdoors or indoors. The works are permanent and installed in common public areas. Public artworks are presented in more or less discreet ways, affirming their formal, conceptual or temporal characteristics. They can relate or not to their site, adapt harmoniously to their environment or contrast with it, depending on the artist’s intention.”

At this stage, based on the information that we have and the scenarios that are possible, we should be able to open the Blue line extension in 2030. Due to operational constraints, the five new stations will all have to be opened at the same time.

The STM will act as the principal contractor and project manager. As operator of the Montréal métro for the past 50 years, the STM has expertise and experience that will benefit the project.

These decisions were made by the métro extension project office, made up of the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), from 2011 to 2015. Their analyses led to the finalized design plan regarding:

• Route
• Locations of entrance buildings
• Bus terminals
• Park-and-ride lot

They used a method called multidisciplinary analysis (MDA), allowing them to examine the pros, cons and limitations of each option, from the perspective of each of the following disciplines:

• Métro operations
• Public transit and station access
• Urban integration and environment
• Work impact management
• Urban development
• Finance
• Socio-politics
• Constructability

These in-depth analyses brought together the various stakeholders (the MTQ, the AMT, the City of Montréal and its relevant boroughs, and the STM) to finalize the design plan that we have today.

For more information and to see the benefits of the chosen options, see our summary (french only).

In February and March 2020, a public consultation process took place in the form of several information evenings and input sessions. The goal of this community dialogue was to design a project that would integrate seamlessly into the lives of Montrealers.

The Commission leading this process has submitted its report and issued 43 recommendations that will allow us to enrich the project and produce infrastructure that meets the expectations of our customers and citizens. Read the report and the action plan.

Azur trains will run on the entire Blue line as soon as the five new stations are commissioned. We must replace the train control system on the current Blue line to ensure that it matches the new technology that will be used on the extension. This is because MR-73 trains are not compatible with the new equipment.

Additionally, since Azur trains must have nine cars, we will redesign the platforms at Saint-Michel station to ensure that they are long enough to accommodate these trains.

Yes, the new stations will be universally accessible and consequently equipped with elevators.

Yes. This is a first for the Montréal métro network. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is a piece of equipment that digs and builds underground structures. More specifically, it is a massive rotating drill designed to dig and apply concrete in circular tunnels, galleries and shafts.

The cutterhead grinds away the bedrock. This construction method gets the work done faster, provides longer-lasting results and is better for the environment. The TBM also has the advantage of being less noticeable to residents than traditional excavation methods, such as cutting machines and blasting, since it generates less noise and vibration.

In due time, you will be invited to help us choose a name for the tunnel borer by voting on suggestions from our employees.

No, that is not part of the plan.

With the acquisition of the AZUR métro cars and the construction of the Côte-Vertu garage, there will be an increase in the service offer on the Orange line in terms of capacity and frequency. The interval between trains on the Orange line will be two minutes instead of two minutes and 30 seconds during peak periods. Additionally, other major projects should mitigate the impact for Orange line users:

• The Pie-IX BRT, when completed, should provide a connection between the extension of the Blue line and the Green line.
• A connection with the REM is planned for Édouard-Montpetit station to ensure a link with downtown.