MONTREAL -- Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante wants the Orange line extended north of Cote-Vertu Station.
Her proposed extension, which was announced on Wednesday, would add two stops to the Orange line. It would mean a 2.3-kilometre extension to the line, stopping at Poirier and at Bois-Franc, where there will also be a REM station.
Plante said the extension would help Montreal's transit system cope with increased stresses its likely to face in the future. "We're so far behind," she said. "If we compare with other cities, the size of Montreal around the world."
The extension would push the metro further into the Saint Laurent borough. Borough Mayor Alan DeSousa said the city's proposal was long overdue. "This is an issue that has regional impacts, whether it be for people in the north shore," he said. "Whether it be for people on the western part of the island, Montreal and Laval."
Because the REM station is currently under construction in the area, Plante said money and time could be saved if the province backs the project soon.
But Quebec deputy transportation minister Chantal Rouleau said the CAQ government won't commit to an extension just yet.
