Everything you need to know about Montreal's Blue line extension
On Monday, April 9, a massive project regarding expansion for Montreal Metro’s Blue line was announced and confirmed.
The announcement was made at St. Leonard by Quebec’s Premier Philippe Couillard.
Also on site were Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante.
Ce sont 5 nouvelles stations qui seront prolongées sur la ligne bleue vers l’Est de Montréal, à Anjou : un secteur qui a bien besoin de transport collectif. #polmtl pic.twitter.com/KbzrkDLp0i
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) April 9, 2018
Enchantée de prendre part à cette importante annonce tant attendue par les https://t.co/YJZ9me0hyu! #polmtl pic.twitter.com/wf1ukG2Dxf
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) April 9, 2018
The project will extend 5.8 kilometres east of St. Leonard and includes:
- Five new metro stations.
- A park-and-ride with 1,200 parking spots.
- A pedestrian tunnel.
- Two transit terminals.
- An estimate of 17,000 new users.
The five new metro stations will be on Jean Talon St. located along:
- Pie IX Blvd.
- Viau St.
- Lacordaire Blvd.
- Langelier Blvd.
- Galeries d’Anjou.
The total extension of the Blue line is expected to cost approximately $3.9 billion. So far, only the following is known about the budget:
- $32 million into plans and specifications. Of that $32 million, $16 million will come from the federal government and $16 million will come from the provincial government.
- $330 million will be dedicated to the expropriation of properties. This will make way for new stations and the bus terminals.
- No other costs have been made public. After the planning phase is completed, the decision of which group(s) will handle construction of the sites and a more detailed budget will be announced.
Construction is expected to officially commence in 2020, with the project reaching completion by 2026.
Until then, Mayor Valerie Plante has announced there will be 300 busses to increase public access to transit. She also admits there’s a lot of pressure on the orange line and that short, middle, and long-term strategies are needed.