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Montreal MetroThe Montreal Mtro is the main form of public transportation for the city of Montreal and was the second metro system to be built in Canada, opening 12 years after the Toronto subway. The Metro was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure of Mayor Jean Drapeau. Originally consisting of 26 stations on three separate lines, the Metro now incorporates 65 stations on four lines, serving the centre, east, and west of Montreal Island with a connection to Longueuil via the Yellow Line and, soon, Laval in 2007. History To be written Trains The Montreal Metro was the first metro in the world to run entirely on rubber tires. This is not the reason, however, why it entirely runs underground, as it is so often erroneously stated (the real reason is because the cars are not designed to run above ground; neither the ventilation nor the electrical systems are watertight). Rubber tires make the Metro exceptionally quiet, and also helps metro cars go uphill more easily and with less energy consumption than metal-wheeled metros. The slopes required to allow the Yellow Line to pass underneath the Saint Lawrence River are too steep for steel-wheeled trains. All lines but the Yellow Line are equipped with automatic train controls. Signalling is effected though electrical pulses sent through the rails, and picked up by antennas mounted on the cars. The information sent conveys speed information, and it is up to the train automatic control to conform to the imposed speed. In case of manual control, signal indication is displayed by a second needle within the speedometer indicating the maximum permissible speed. The only wayside signals are point position indicators. Trains are stopped at station stops with a precise odometer (accurate to plus or minus 5 centimetres) that is recalibrated at every station stop by the use of a beacon that is positioned before the station at the precise length of the platform, thus allowing the train control system to calculate exactly how many wheel turns to go before stopping after passing a second beacon positioned at the station entrance. Two models of train are used: the MR-63, delivered for the metro's opening in 1966 by Canadian Vickers, used on the green line; and the MR-73, delivered in the 1970s by Bombardier and used on the other three lines. It is the MR-73 model that produces the system's signature three-note sound when the train pulls out of a station. Montreal's rolling stock is among the oldest still in use on any metro system in the world, and the STM is pressing the provincial government hard for the large investment necessary to replace the trains. Design The design of the Metro was heavily influenced by Montreal's winter conditions. Unlike other cities' metros, nearly all station entrances in Montreal are completely enclosed: usually in small, separate buildings with swiveling doors meant to mitigate the wind caused by train movements that can make doors difficult to open. All separate entrances are set back from the sidewalk; as well several stations in downtown Montreal are directly connected to buildings, and thus have several entrances inside pre-existing buildings as well as street-level entrances, making the Metro an integral part of Montreal's famous underground city. Several metro entrances are also located within building faades. Only three stations have open entrances such as are prevalent in other cities. Montreal's metro is renowned for its architecture and public art. Under the direction of Mayor Drapeau, a competition among Canadian architects was held to decide the design of each station, ensuring that every station was built in a different style by a different architect. Several stations, such as Berri-UQAM are important examples of modernist architecture, and various system-wide design choices were informed by the International Style. Along with the Stockholm Metro, Montreal pioneered the installation of public art in the metro among capitalist countries, a practice that before hand was mostly found in Socialist and Communist nations. More than fifty stations are decorated with over one hundred works of public art, such as sculpture, stained glass, and murals by noted Qubcois artists, including members of the famous art movement, the Automatistes. Some of the most important works in the Metro include the stained-glass window at Champ-de-Mars station, the masterpiece of major Quebec artist Marcelle Ferron; and the Guimard entrance at Square Victoria station, like the famous metro entrances designed for the Paris Metro, donated by the RATP to commemorate its cooperation in constructing the metro. This is the only authentic Guimard entrance in use outside Paris. Operation Metro service starts at 05:30 and stops at 01:00 on weekdays and Sunday, and 01:30 on Saturday in order to accommodate people coming home later. However, the Blue Line stops service earlier, at 00:15 due to low traffic volume. During rush hour, there are three to five minutes between trains on the Orange and Green Lines. The Metro is operated by the Socit de transport de Montral (STM) which also operates the bus services in Montreal, thus there is free transfer possible between bus and Metro. Fare payment is via a barrier system, including magnetic tickets and passes, punched-card bus transfers, and non-magnetized reduced fare tickets. Fares are partially integrated with the Agence mtropolitaine de transport's commuter rail system, which links the Metro to the outer suburbs via four interchange stations. Metro Lines The four current Montreal Metro lines are identified by colour, by number, or by terminus station. The terminus station in the direction of travel is used to differentiate between directions of travel. The longest and busiest line is the Green Line, while the least busy is the Blue Line. The Yellow Line is the shortest line, with just three stations, and was built for the 1967 Montreal World's Fair. For now, it is the only Metro line that leaves the Island of Montreal, however that will change when the Orange Line is extended to Laval, a suburb to the north of Montreal, in 2007. Line 3 was intended to be an above-ground train that would use the CN Rail tracks running under Mount Royal, however this plan was cancelled and Line 3 was never built. The Montreal Metro nonetheless continues to be numbered as if Line 3 had been built. See Also External links
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