Montreal Metro Laval Extension

[wyliepoon]

Progress photos of the Montreal Metro Laval extension stations, taken from the AMT website.

The new stations seem to continue Montreal's tradition of building cavernous yet artistic stations quite well. While TTC went with the "in-your-face" kind of station artwork for the Sheppard subway, Montreal's new stations emphasize much more on architecture- with its careful design of station volumes, lighting and materials (probably following a quote from Le Corbusier: "Architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light."). While the Sheppard subway is a good place to look at subway art, these Metro stations look like great places to study subway architecture.

The only architectural equivalent of these stations in Toronto is Downsview station, which is my favourite TTC subway station.

Station Cartier

Station De La Concorde

Station Montmorency

 

[spmarshall]

Thanks for posting. Interesting to see that the tradition of very deep, cement stations continues in Montreal. Does not look like easy stations to navigate around.

How does one say "white elephant" en français?

a. Éléphant blanc
b. Grands travaux inutiles
c. Aeroport Mirabel
d. Prolongation de Métro Laval
e. Tout les ci-dessus

Though Cartier is probably the one station that is logical to build - to reduce the number of buses from the STL and the CITBL from the north all feeding into Henri-Bourassa Station. Similar to an extension of the Yonge Line to Steeles or Thornhill. Otherwise, the extension will likely have very low ridership.

 

[MetroMan1000]

How much did it cost? Are they building their subways more efficiently than in Toronto?

Although I see Miller's point in emphasizing streetcar ROWs in this time of low transit funding (better to move forward with realistic options than to cross your arms in a fit and do nothing), I don't think he should be dismissing subway construction so publicly as if it weren't the obvious better alternative.

I can't wait to see a return to public transit funding. These things come in waves and with the environment bug even biting the Conservatives, I think we'll see the dawn of a new era of subway construction in Toronto fairly shortly.

When it comes, I hope Toronto takes a page out of Montreal's book. These stations are gorgeous.

 

[Observer Walt]

Thanks for these photos. You make a good distinction between art and architecture. In the Montreal subway you can see both, in most of Toronto's stations, neither.

Interesting to see that they place lots of garbage containers along the platform. Toronto could take a lesson here as well.

 

[rbtaylor]

Montreal subway is a great place to visit and explore but the size of those stations can add a ton of time to the daily commute.

I also feel for the people using the south entrance of York Mills or Lawrence on a daily basis, listening to 2 or 3 trains go through the station while you descend the never ending escalator.

 

[Bogtrotter]

Very nice sneak peak. Great to see that the Metro is continuing with the large open concept for stations- very sophisticated and cosmo.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Sexy. It makes one weep at our Sheppard subway. Thanks for the post.

AoD

 

[cacruden]

When I last checked out the first subway line in Bangkok (2nd rapid transit line), those subway stations were also very deep and big. Down one level, then another level for payment and entrance (that level is about the size of Union Station's waiting area), then once payment has been made you procede down another level (a little deeper) to the subway platform (which is constructed like the Jubilee Line in London with protective glass-like barriers to the subway tracks (not easy to jump on tracks and gum up the works).

In one station one direction is around 4 floors above the opposite direction (obviously planning for a interchange like the way Montreal does it). No obvious shoddy construction either.

This year, they start the process for construction (all to start construction this year or next) of 5 new lines -- to be completed around 2011.

Toronto -- we wait, Montreal builds, Toronto waits, Bangkok builds, Toronto - we continue to wait >:

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"I also feel for the people using the south entrance of York Mills or Lawrence on a daily basis, listening to 2 or 3 trains go through the station while you descend the never ending escalator."

A maximum of one train can go through while you're on those escalators.

 

[simply Dan]

Interesting to see that they place lots of garbage containers along the platform. Toronto could take a lesson here as well.

The TTC removed all platform-level trash bins for security reasons a few months ago.

Many thanks for those pics - magnificent new stations! It is a shame that the rest of the Montreal Metro network is in a fairly bad state of disrepair.

I am hoping the future York University station wil one day look something like what is being built in Montreal - grand, open scale.

 

[ganjavih]

Being grand and cavernous also means that it takes a long time to get down to the platform. Nice to behold perhaps but TTC stations are more convenient.

 

[Degnaw]

A maximum of one train can go through while you're on those escalators.

technically, two... one each way

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I really don't care if my doppelganger misses his train...

 

[officedweller]

Nice! and huge. Must be a big bus transfer station.

From the maps, Cartier is the first station after the tunnel under the river, so that's probably why it's a deep station. Mind you, the rubber tires should allow a steep grade up from under the river, so maybe the station could have been shallower.

 

[andomano52]

i've never ridden on that montreal metro, but it is interesting to see that theres scuff marks on the side of the train