Province prodded for more investment in métro maintenance

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The province was called in to step up its investment in public transit maintenance after the discovery of degradation in a concrete support that forced the closing of three stations on the métro’s Blue Line.

The closing came Thursday night hours before Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and other dignitaries were set to hold a Friday morning sod-turning ceremony nearby to mark the official beginning of construction on the eastward extension to the métro’s Blue Line. That ceremony has been postponed.

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Speaking to reporters Friday morning, Société de transport de Montréal CEO Marie-Claude Léonard said there currently is no planned reopening date for the station, which opened to the public in 1986 and serves as the eastern terminus for the Blue Line. The entire Blue Line was built between 1986 and 1988, and is the newest line in the métro network.

“Our team will work to repair and reinforce the area, but we have to understand that it will take several days if not weeks, so it’s not tomorrow morning that the station will be reopened,” Léonard said.

Despite St-Michel station being one of the newest métro stations on the island, provincial political parties, Plante and even Léonard were chiding the provincial government for a lack of investment in the maintenance of the underground network.

Léonard also took a swipe at the provincial government, which she said has refused to adequately finance its maintenance and accessibility projects. She said the STM needs $560 million per year to maintain its aging infrastructure. She said since 2013, the amount invested in maintenance has never been lower.

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Plante agreed the province has to better fund maintenance operations.

“I think it’s sad, but it brings light to something we have been saying for a long time,” Plante said. “We all enjoy doing sod turning for new projects, but we also have the be here, me, Mme Guilbault, when difficult times happen like this. There are numbers out there, and we’re at the lowest point from the government investment in terms of the (maintenance).

“Today, we had many citizens that are late for work, maybe struggling with the kids and work, and they’re counting on us, the STM, but also the city of Montreal and other levels of government to take care of the foundation of our network.”

Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois went further, saying instead of cancelling her press appearance on Friday, Guilbault should face questions about the state of the métro.

“It’s proof that maybe she knows she could have done something to prevent it,” he said. “How can we expect the métro to work correctly if the government of Quebec is not helping to maintain it in a good state?”

In Quebec City, Parti Québécois opposition critic Pascal Bérubé echoed Nadeau-Dubois’s concerns, and invited Guilbault to visit the worksite at the St-Michel station.

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“Since she’s already there, she should visit those stations,” Bérubé said. “She can check whether we can still have confidence in those subway stations. It’s all about taking care of what we hsve already. It’s less sexy and popular to take care of the subway that we have right now. The government wants to put emphasis on extension of the blue line but the worries of Montrealers today are about taking care of the system.

In a message posted on X, Guilbault said the government has been working closely with the STM in the management of the situation.

“I spoke to Mr. Caldwell and reiterated our support Mayor Valérie Plante,” Guilbault wrote. “Given the context, I asked that our announcement o the extension of the Blue Line be delayed. Safety is our priority.”

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Many commuters arriving at the St-Michel station Friday morning were surprised to see yellow danger tape barring their entry, with shuttle buses in place, with STM employees on site to provide guidance.

The degradation was discovered during the day Thursday by crews who were working on the station as part of general maintenance work that began in March.

After analyzing the situation, the STM elected to close the station at 7:15 p.m. Because there are no track switches at Iberville and Fabre, those stations must remain closed as well. Shuttle buses are in place between the St-Michel and Jean-Talon stations. Bus Line 809 will run along Jean-Talon St. and stop at each of the three closed stations.

“For us, the priority is the safety of customers,” Léonard said. “But when we look at the configuration, it makes it difficult because in order to put in place posts to reinforce the structure, we have to place them on the track.”

Marc-André Maisonneuve, the director of infrastructure projects, said the concrete framework was degraded. Crews discovered this as they were undertaking demolition work on a stairway that is near a footbridge that holds the turnstiles for riders heading down to the platforms. Because of the location of the degraded concrete, crews can’t immediately reinforce it without disrupting the track immediately below the footbridge.

Maisonneuve explained the degradation was caused by an infiltration of water, mixed with de-icing salt over the years, which penetrated that part of the station from the surface.

jmagder@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jasonmagder

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