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blue line extension

'Major work' on the STM's blue line extension is FINALLY starting

Although completion of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM)'s blue line extension has been postponed, "major work" on the project is finally set to begin soon, providing transit users with a shred of hope regarding the future of eastward travel in the city.

On Monday, the STM announced that "construction will officially begin for the new stations in the Pie-IX, Viau and Langelier sectors" this fall.

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9 Of The Most-Anticipated Montreal Construction Projects In 2024

In 2024, Montrealers will once again have to navigate a landscape of cones, barriers, and detours. This year, the city's ambitious construction agenda includes significant projects ranging from transit expansions to major retail developments. These projects, while essential for the city's growth, continue to challenge daily commutes and raise questions about urban planning and efficiency.

Some projects seem to be in a perpetual holding pattern, with certain areas having the same orange cones for nearly 20 years. Stalled progress has even drawn commentary from visiting celebrities. Still, developments are underway, including bridge constructions, hotel projects, expansive transit initiatives, and a large shopping complex.

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Montreal Could Get A New Transit Line To Laval & The North Shore

Political will is aligning behind a transit project that would link Montreal and its northern suburbs. The mayors of Laval, Montréal-Est and the North Shore municipalities of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Repentigny are now calling for a new line connecting their cities to Montreal's East End, including direct connections to the blue and green lines of the Montreal metro.

Officials are already studying the possibility of a so-called "eastern structural project" that could bring new rapid transit to the northeastern part of Montreal Island and beyond. This project follows in the footsteps of the defunct REM de l'Est, a plan to install a new light-rail line between Montréal-Nord, Pointe-aux-Trembles and downtown Montreal.

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The New Montreal Metro Blue Line Stations Might Not (All) Be Named After Dead White Dudes

Pie-IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was a 19th-century pope. Charles-Théodore Viau was a moustached businessman and landowner. Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire was a fervent Catholic preacher. And François Charles Stanislas Langelier was a career politician. All of them are dead. All of them were men. And all of them are namesakes for the provisional labels attached to future Montreal metro stations on the blue line extension: Pie-IX, Viau, Lacordaire and Langelier.

But these monikers likely won't be as tenacious as the white patriarchy these men represent. An STM spokesperson told MTL Blog that the transit company plans to unveil the official names for blue line extension stations in 2023. The organization has also recommitted to including the names of women and nods to "multicultural and Indigenous realities" in its considerations.

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The STM Has Unveiled The Artists For Each New Blue Line Extension Metro Station

Montreal will have five new metro stations upon the completion of the blue line extension in the late 2020s. The hope is that they'll expand not only transit service, but also the spirit of what STM General Manager Marie-Claude Léonard calls the "underground art museum" — the monumental installations and bold architecture that characterize the Montreal metro. To that end, the STM has unveiled the Quebec artists whose works will one day anchor the new stations in Montreal's East End.

Jocelyne Alloucherie. Right: Ludovic Boney.Jocelyne Alloucherie. Right: Ludovic Boney.Courtesy of the STM

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These 3 Massive Montreal Construction Projects Will Reshape The City

Real estate broker Luciano D'Iorio was stuck in traffic when I called him to talk about the future of Montreal's real estate market and transportation. "When you say the word transportation," he said over the phone, people tend to wonder, "what does that have to do with real estate? And my answer is, it's got everything to do with real estate."

Travelling between built environments, accessing areas around new developments and bringing people from populated areas to commercial centres are all key points where real estate and transit overlap, and these three projects are nothing if not transit-centred.

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Construction For Montreal's Blue Line Extension Will Cause Traffic Headaches For 10 Months

The STM is charging ahead with the extension of the blue line, which will eventually bring the Montreal metro to the east end boroughs of Saint-Léonard and Anjou.

Beginning the week of August 29, the transit company is moving into the next phase of work, turning parts of rue Jean-Talon and boulevard Viau into an eight-metre-deep pit so crews can reroute sewer, water and electrical lines to make way for the eventual construction of a new station.

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The Montreal Metro Blue Line Extension Is Happening — Here's Everything You Need To Know

It seems like we report on this every year, but once again, there are definitive plans to extend the Montreal Metro Blue line further east. Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Montreal Region Chantal Rouleau announced a revised plan for five additional metro stations on March 18.

"The blue line will go to Anjou," Rouleau said. "The project has been enhanced to open up an entire population who will now have access to a public transit system worthy of the name."

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