Soci├®t├® de Transport de Montreal

Moving┬átarget┬áThe city of Montreal is undertaking major initiatives to refresh its public transit system and increase public ridership. Jackie Beck reports on the plans of the Soci├®t├® de Transport de Montreal. For more than 40 years since it first opened in 1966, the metro has been an essential part of Montreal life. Downtown Montreal saw its first major expansion after the arrival of the metro, and its presence continues to be the cityÔÇÖs pride and joy. Providing its residents with fast, sustainable, and pleasant transportation, it is also playing a crucial role in the cityÔÇÖs recent evolution. The Soci├®t├® de Transport de Montreal (STM) is a rapid transit and bus agency for the Montreal Metro area, which includes Montreal and a small portion of Laval and the South Shore area. The STM prides itself on delivering reliable, rapid, safe, and comfortable transportation at a fair price. As the main developer and operator of the transit network, STM is a key contributor to the regionÔÇÖs economic standing. A balanced transportation plan is important for Montreal citizens; a plan which provides efficient mobility, economic growth, quality of life, and sustainable development, as public transportation enters into a new period of growth. Thanks to increased support from all levels of government, 21 improvement programs are now under way, aimed at improving the quality of life of the regionÔÇÖs residents, with STM at the forefront. The plan is intended to increase public transit ridership by 8 percent by 2012, and 26 percent by 2021. For a public system with a metro that already gets its riders to their destination on time 98 percent of the time, considered the safest metro system in North America, and averages the lowest single-trip operating cost on the continent, this is a challenging task. In a $750 million project, the ATM (Agence Metropolitaine de Transport), in collaboration with the STM, has recently completed the construction of three new stations in the city of Laval, just north of Montreal, which includes over three miles of new tunneling. The Laval extension represents 25 percent of the total volume along the Orange Line, which amounts to 250,000 riders a day. The entire metro system averages close to one million riders a day in an estimated total metro population of three million, making it one of the highest transit utilizations of any transit system in North America.Between now and 2020, STM has planned projects worth $10.5 billion to upgrade the current system where $5 billion will go to the advancement of its metro stations, tracks, and tunnels. On top of those investments, the City of Montreal plans two metro extensions which could bring up to 8 stations.Currently, projects involving the metro include $1.2 billion for the replacement of first-generation rolling stock, an additional $954 million being used for the renovation and modernization of the metroÔÇÖs pumps, ventilation units, collection booths and other stationary equipment including a fiber optics remote control system, a system-wide private telephone network, the addition of 1500 surveillance cameras, replacement of the radio-communications system, replacement of station escalators, and the addition of elevators in some stations for the mobility-impaired. Another $80 million is going for the refurbishment of the architectural element of the metro stations.STM is also putting a $3.1 billion investment into its bus system. All of its bus fleet is powered by bio-diesel engines and now includes an additional eight hybrid buses. In collaboration with Soci├®t├® de transport de lÔÇÖOutaouais (STO), a pilot project called the Urban Transportation Showcase program is being conducted in order to implement a set of measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and airborne pollutants. The project will focus on operating the eight hybrid diesel-electric buses in the C├┤te-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Gr├óce district and assessing their environmental performance in various weather conditions. The hybrids will be paired with same-generation, conventional diesel drive buses traveling the same routes. The project could lead to the reduction of 330 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equal to removing about sixty vehicles from the roads, with a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption.The STM has always favored an ecological approach, affirming its commitment to sustainable development. A $102 million project started in 2007, and expected to be completed in July of 2009, will extend MontrealÔÇÖs main busing center and build new bus body shops in order to improve service reliability. The STM chose a number of things to ensure the buildingsÔÇÖ components were eco-friendly; 950 square meters of green roofing and 500 square meters of solar walls were installed to conserve heating and cooling loads on the buildings.The STMÔÇÖs environmental protection extends to its use of water and energy. Vegetation barriers were installed in the new buildings in order to reduce runoff, and 15 million liters of water are recycled from washing buses each year to conserve water consumption. Fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrid-drive SUV models are used by bus operations supervisors on the road. Committed to the wellbeing of the transitÔÇÖs users, the STM has trained more than 2,000 bus drivers in smart driving techniques. A two-day training that promotes smooth driving and anticipation of stops and events likely to occur ensures the feeling of safety among travelers. The program has also contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 4,242 tons, equal to the removal of 617 cars from the streets of Montreal.It is clear that the STM faces its projects with a clear understanding of the needs of MontrealÔÇÖs citizens. The STM bus network is fully integrated into the metro system, enabling travelers fast and easy transfers to and from buses and commuter trains operated by other transit authorities in the area. Most of the 68 STM operated stations are also authentic art galleries, each designed by a different architect. Dozens of murals, lead glass panels and sculptures of all shapes and colors have been installed inside most stations for the travelersÔÇÖ enjoyment.The significant projects that are under way for the STM will ensure increased performance and improved quality of service for MontrealÔÇÖs public transit system. With security, reliability, rapid transportation, and sustainability at the heart of the STMÔÇÖs business plan, Montreal will see a reinvention that gives its residents a reason to be proud. ┬á