This is Montréal, Canada. Home to 1.9 million people, the city is connected by a network
of metro lines, which service 68 stations in three local municipalities. Consisting
of four lines and 69 kilometres of track, the network is the second busiest in Canada,
with rubber tired trains running underground across the city. But how did the system grow
from its original station to the network it is today? My name’s Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
The first two metro lines opened in October 1966,
interchanging in downtown at Berri-de-Montigny station. The Green Line saw eight stations
open under Maisonneuve Boulevard, running between Papineau an Atwater. On the Orange Line, 13
stations were service, with trains running between Henri-Bourassa and Place-D’Armes.
In December 1966, the Green Line was extended one station east, from Papineau to Frontenac.
Two days later, an infill station at Beaudry opened. While the stop was originally supposed
to open with the rest of the network, delays during construction caused the opening date
to be pushed back. In February 1967, the orange line was extended
one stop south from Place-D’Armes to Square-Victoria, followed one week later by another
one stop extension to Bonaventure. In April, Montreal’s third Metro line opened,
with the Yellow Line running from the interchange at Berri-de-Montigeny into the neighbouring
municipality of Longueuil. The extension included two new stations, taking the metro under the
St Lawrence River. Metro construction continued into 1976, with
the second phase of the system beginning to open. In June, the Green line was extended
9 stops east from Frontenac to Honoré-Beaugrand. This extension serviced many important venues
for the Montreal Olympics, which began roughly one month after the opening.
Two years later in September 1978, an eight stop westward extension of the Green Line
brought service to its present terminus at Angrignon. At Lionel-Groulx, the station was
future-proofed as an interchange station, with two of the four platforms being unused
for the first few years of operation. April 1980 saw a four stop extension of the
Orange Line south from Bonaventure to Place-Saint-Henri. This extension included a new interchange
with the Green Line at Lionel-Groulx, utilizing the previously constructed platforms.
A three stop extension of the Orange line opened in September 1981, bringing the Orange
Line further west to Snowdon. Four months later in January 1982, a further
one stop extension brought the line to Côte-Sainte-Catherine. In June, an additional one stop extension
brought the line to Plamondon. Finally in January 1984, the orange line saw
three new stops open west to Du College. In June 1986, the first segments of Montreal’s
fourth metro line opened, with four new stations opening on the Blue Line. The line ran between
Saint-Michel and De Castelnau, including an interchange with the existing Orange Line
station at Jean-Talon. Three months later in September, the final
one stop extension of the orange line opened, bring the line to its present terminus at
Côte-Vertu. Subsequent phases of the Blue Line extension
were opened in June 1987, with a one stop extension from De Castineau to Parc.
In January 1988, two stations on the Montréal Metro were renamed, to reflect their adjacent
post secondary institutions. On the Green Line, Guy station was renamed to Guy-Concordia,
to reflect the presence of Concordia University. Montreal’s main interchange at Berri-de-Montigny
was also renamed to Berri-UQAM to reflect the presence of the Université du Québec à
Montréal. Also in January, the blue line was extended,
meeting with the western leg of the Orange Line at Snowdon. Four intermediate stops were
added as part of the extension. A fifth intermediate stop at Acadie was added
in March of that year, completing the blue line that is operating today.
May 2001 saw the renaming of the yellow line station at Île-Saint-Hélène. The stop
was renamed to Jean-Drapeau, the mayor of Montréal who initiated the construction of
the city’s metro system. In September 2003, the yellow line station
at Longueuil was also updated to reflect the presence of the Université-de-Sherbrooke.
April 2007 saw the Metro’s first extension
to the northern suburb of Laval, with the opening of a three stop extension from Henri-Bourassa
to Montmorency. The three stations on the extension were the first to be constructed
with elevators built in to their design. June 2014 saw the orange line station at Square-Victoria
station renamed to reflect the presence of the nearby headquarters of the International
Civil Aviation Organization, OACI in French. This change brings us to the Montréal Metro map that we know today.
In the years to come, major changes are proposed
for the Montréal Metro that will see the system almost double in length. A new 67-kilometre
light metro line is currently under construction, running branches to the south shore, west
island and north shore of the Montréal metro area. The first of these branches is expected
to open in summer 2022, which will see automated light metro service run from Montréal’s
Centrale Station to Brossard, with three intermediate stops.
In fall 2023, seven more stations will open, extending the line from Bonaventure Gare Centrale
to Du Ruisseau station, interchanging with the Green Line at McGill, and the Blue Line
at Édouard-Montpetit. Additionally, a new station will open on the REM just south of
Gare Centrale, with an infill station at Griffintown-Bernard-Landry being added to the network.
In Spring 2024, more stations will open on the REM, which will see service extended to
Pierrefonds-Roxboro. Additionally, a new branch will split from the line between Bois-Franc
and Sunnybroooke, with four new stations running west to Anse-à-l'Orme. In fall, four additional
stations are planned to open north from Pierrefonds-Roxboro to Deux-Montagnes, taking the system north
to Laval. Finally, the end of 2024 will see a third branch open, branching out from Bois-Franc
to the Montréal Trudeau Airport. In 2026, a five stop extension of the Blue
line is expected to open, bringing the line east from Saint-Michel to Anjou.
That was the evolution of Montréal’s metro network, giving us the four lines that we
know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our video on the evolution of Montréal’s
Commuter Rail network, which you can access by clicking the button in the top right corner.
Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down below to join
in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.