A Downtown Montreal Metro Station Will Close For Most Of December Thanks To COP15

Hundreds of police officers will take to downtown Montreal during the 15th United Nations Conférence des parties (COP15). The event, also known as the 2022 Montreal Biodiversity Conference, will take place at the Palais des Congrès from December 7 to 19. A police perimeter around the convention centre is set to disrupt movement through the area. The STM is planning several service changes as a result, including the temporary closure of Place d'Armes metro station.

In a Friday statement, the transit company said the stop will be closed from December 1 to 20 at the request of the authorities. The orange line will otherwise run as usual, just without a stop between Square-Victoria–OACI and Champs-de-Mars.

You can also expect the suspension of certain bus stops once the COP15 perimeter fence is up beginning November 14. STM customers using lines 55, 129, 361, 363 and 365 will have to deal with changes to their routes in the Palais des Congrès area. All the planned detours are listed online.

The STM assured that adapted transport services will still run in the Palais des Congrès area, but likely with some delays.

And the transit company warns there could be additional service changes, too, depending on COP15 security requests. It's asking customers to plan their trips ahead of time and to stay up to date using real-time scheduling tools, including the STM website and Chrono app.

"Through extensive planning and close coordination with COP15 partners and authorities, the STM is ensuring that it is fully prepared to make public transit a sustainable and efficient mobility option for all during this major international summit," the company concluded.

Good luck getting around the city in the coming weeks!