Montreal's new state-of-the-art metro cars rolled into service Sunday.
The first Azur train to take passengers left the Henri-Bourassa station at 10 a.m., travelled towards Côte-Vertu and stopped at Berri-UQAM metro. The train will run on the Orange line for now as a total of 52 trains will gradually be introduced into the system over the next two years.
The new trains will accommodate about 100 more passengers than the current trains do, and will eventually account for about 25 per cent of the metro system’s fleet. The extra capacity, combined, is equivalent to 14 additional trains.
Manufactured by Bombardier and Alstom firms, the trains are set to be delivered to the STM by the end of 2018, for a cost of $ 1.2 billion.
The total cost of Azur is double that, due to upgrades for the current system. The Quebec government is picking up 75 per cent of the bill.
An inauguration ceremony was held Sunday morning, where the new Transport Minister Jacques Daoust, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and representatives of the STM, Bombardier and Alstom took a ride along with members of the media.
“This is all part of the sustainable development strategy and all the collectivities, all metropolises, all cities are making this kind of shift,” said Coderre.
The new trains will not have air conditioning. The STM has claimed the structure of the metro system does not allow for it.
Azur's technology, however, will generate considerably less heat compared to the traditional metro trains. The new metro cars can also transform their own heat into additional electricity for the network.
“It’s not an expense, it’s an investment,” said Daoust, adding that what is good for the city is good for the province. “The engine of the economy in Quebec is Montreal. If Montreal is going well, Quebec is going well.”
The new metro cars will also allow passengers to walk from one car to another. There are also other advantages including better lighting, larger windows and more space.
With major construction projects ramping up over the next few years, the new metro's extra capacity will be more important as more people move toward public transit.
“It's a good solution and people will have a better way of travelling and a better experience when they'll travel with us,” said Philippe Schnobb, chair of the STM.
The original trains were built in 1966; those trains will be retired.
The new trains have been a long time coming; the STM first put the project up for tender over a decade ago.
With files from The Canadian Press
