Montreal’s STM proposes three-year, US$2.1 billion capital program

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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STM

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) proposed a three-year capital expenditures program (PTI) valued at more than CA$2.8 billion (US$2.1 billion). The plan outlines spending between 2016 - 2018 on those investments needed to upgrade or replace equipment and infrastructure that have or will reach the end of their service life in the next few years.

 

The STM is investing to maintain its assets so that it can increase the reliability, punctuality and accessibility of transit services while improving customer information. STM says that represents a huge challenge because, during the past decades, the company has accumulated a CA$4.3-billion (US$3.3-billion) deficit with asset maintenance. As a result, of the CA$2.8 billion (US$2 billion), 73 percent will be invested in equipment and installations over the next three years. Therefore, STM is choosing to refurbish its installations.

The 2016-2018 PTI outlines 43 projects, with 17 of them taking up 97 percent of overall investments totaling more than CA$2.7 billion (US$2 billion). Several of these will contribute directly to improving the transit experience for customers. STM will invest more than CA$1.1 billion (US$835 million) to purchase the new AZUR cars, increasing passenger capacity by eight percent once the old cars are replaced. It will also move forward with station renovations, earmarking more than CA$277 million (US$210 million) for that program, including CA$36 million (US$27 million) for the ongoing refurbishment of Berri-UQAM station. Investments of nearly CA$415 million (US$314 million) will be made specifically to phases III and IV of the Réno-Systèmes program.

The Québec and Canadian governments, along with the Agglomeration of Montréal are funding 79 percent of the STM’s capital expenditures. The ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) is shouldering 65 percent of that amount, with the other 11 percent funded by the federal government. Together, the STM and the Agglomeration of Montréal are covering the difference, 21 percent.

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