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The Société de transport de Montréal announced on Thursday it has shut down the three easternmost stations on the Blue Line until further notice after discovering “significant deterioration of some main beams above the footbridge” at St-Michel station.
Because d’Iberville and Fabre stations do not have track switches allowing trains to turn around there, those stations must be closed as well, the STM said.
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A special bus shuttle, line 809, is being put in place between St-Michel and Jean-Talon stations starting Thursday night. It will stop at all three closed stations in both directions. The STM said staff will also be present to help clients.
The damage above the footbridge was revealed as a result of planned renovation work at St-Michel, the STM said. The three stations will have to remain closed until the repairs are done.
The STM said further evaluations are needed before it can determine what work is still needed, which could take “several days or even weeks.”
The STM’s statement also took aim at the provincial government, which it said has refused to finance its maintenance and accessibility projects. The agency said it will require $560 million to maintain its aging infrastructure.
The agency will provide more details on the issue Friday morning.
The shutdown is only the latest disruption in service caused by infrastructure issues in the 58-year-old métro network. Last year, part of the Green Line was shut down for an evening after cracks were detected in a métro tunnel between Berri-UQAM and St-Laurent stations.
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