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Together, the mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, the chairman of the STM board of directors, Philippe Schnobb, and STM’s chief executive officer, Luc Tremblay, presented the 2017 budget for the STM, set at $1.405 B, and showing current expenses up by only 0.6% over last year.
Montréal, November 23, 2016 – Together, the mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, the chairman of the STM board of directors, Philippe Schnobb, and STM’s chief executive officer, Luc Tremblay, presented the 2017 budget for the STM, set at $1.405 B, and showing current expenses up by only 0.6% over last year. This budget upholds the commitment made by the city’s administration toward public transit, with a $25.8 M increase in the contribution by the Agglomeration of Montréal, as well as STM’s commitment to improving the transit experience for customers, with its own $23 M investment in added service and targeted measures.
« Having a bus or métro at the right place at the right time, while having equipment in good working order, those are basic conditions for quality service and the STM understands this well. The Agglomeration of Montréal and the Government of Québec equally support the strategic shift the STM has taken, putting customers first among their priorities. In fact, this is why we raised our basic contribution to the STM by 6% », explained mayor Coderre.
Furthermore, the Agglomeration of Montréal has raised its contribution by 55.2% as part of a SOFIL (Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec) program, for a total of $26.7 million dollars. This program serves to finance a portion of STM’s investment projects.
« Last year, we undertook a significant strategic shift. It rests on a marked increase in STM’s capacity to deliver the service it promises to customers and on massive investments in infrastructure maintenance. The 2017 budget goes even further, with major investments in service improvements. In tangible terms, the Montréal métro will offer a level of service like never before, and bus service will also be enhanced in several areas. These improvements will take place without any fare increases in January », added Mr. Schnobb.
« This is the STM’s last budget, in its current format, as the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) will be created on June 1, 2017. It’s a solid, thorough budget with advantages for customers, a budget that will allow the STM to position itself for the transition period and for negotiating its performance contract with ARTM », added Luc Tremblay.
Significant service increases
Additional service is an important feature of the STM’s 2017 budget. For the métro, 5.0 million car-km will be added, the biggest increase since the three stations opened in Laval. This service enhancement will ensure better service during peak periods and a maximum interval of 5 minutes between trains in the evening. The Blue line’s operating hours will also be extended by 30 minutes at night. Lastly, on December 31, the métro will stay open all night.
As for the bus system, some 100,000 hours of service will be added – the most significant increase since 2012 – including 50,000 hours earmarked for mitigation measures related to major roadwork sites around the city. With regards to Transport adapté, the number of passenger rides should grow by 5% over 2016, to reach 4 million. And for a fifth year in a row, the STM upholds its commitment, despite subsidies being capped in 2012.
Tangible measures for STM customers
Combined with additional service, several measures will help make passenger rides easier, namely:
- 18 AZUR trains put into passenger service, for a total of 30
- Full deployment of iBUS with advent of real-time
- Ongoing deployment of mobile network with 10 newly connected station, for a total of 40
- Establishment of new bus priority measures (MPB) to reach the target of 375 km, including reserved lanes and priority traffic lights
- Acquisition of 107 new, air-conditioned hybrid buses
- Elevators becoming operational at Place-d’Armes and Honoré-Beaugrand stations
- City Mobility project kicking off with three fully electric buses in passenger service on the 36 – Monk line
- Ongoing program for major refurbishment and replacement of escalators in métro system
- Installation of 310 new bus shelters
- Implementation of Vision Changeur throughout the métro system
- Implementation of reminders for Transport adapté customers regarding travel the next day
MM. Schnobb and Tremblay are available for interviews.
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Isabelle Tremblay
Affaires publiques - STM
Téléphone : (514) 280-4940
isabelle.tremblay@stm.info
