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When was inaugurated the Montreal métro?
The Montreal métro was inaugurated on 14 October 1966 at Berri-de Montigny station. The construction work on the initial network, consisting of 26 stations, began on May 23, 1962 and cost 213 million dollars. The original network was constituted of three lines: the green line, the orange line and the yellow line.
 

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When was launched the métro's construction work?
The first shovelful of earth for the construction of the Montréal métro was lifted on 23 May 1962 on Berri Street, south of Jarry Street.

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Why is there no line 3?
Originally, a line 3 was planned. It was to be constituted of 15 stations and was supposed to run on the Canadian National Right-of-Way - including the Mount-Royal tunnel - to end up in Cartierville. The implementation of line 3 would have required to invest in a different kind of rolling stock since most of the line would have been outside. However, since Montréal was to host Expo 67, the World Fair, it was decided that line 4 - yellow would be built instead, allowing direct access to Sainte-H�l�ne and Notre-Dame islands and servicing the South Shore.

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Since when are there swipe card readers in the métro?
Since 1988. The implantation of this automated access system was implemented gradually. All the stations are now equipped with swipe card readers that unlock the turnstiles by decoding the magnetic strip on transit passes.

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Who controls the métro system?
All information relating to the underground network’s activities converge on the métro's Control Centre. There, a sophisticated computer system monitors the flow of trains in real time, the distribution of electrical power, the supervision of stationary equipment, as well as communications throughout the network. Implemented in the mid-80s, the computer system currently in use is the third since 1966. Day and night, highly specialized staff maintain a smoothly running system, programmed to handle 2400 fire intervention strategies.

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Which métro station was the first to display a work of art?
Place-des-Arts, inaugurated on 20 December 1967. The work: L'histoire de la musique � Montréal (The history of music in Montreal), by Fr�d�ric Back.

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Which is the deepest métro station?
Charlevoix Station is 30 metres below the surface and is the deepest. Angrignon and Longueuil stations are the closest to the surface, at 4 metres underground.

What distinguishes the Montréal métro from the other metros in the World?
The Montréal métro was the first anywhere to ride exclusively on tires (nitrogen-inflated, with valve). This technique makes climbing hills, pulling away and braking easier and reduces noise and vibrations transmitted to neighbouring buildings.

For what is the Montréal métro renowned?
The Montréal métro was designed in function of parameters that now make it famous: its architectural quality, the originality of the design and the presence of works of art. Indeed, the Metropolitan Transportation Bureau developed an original concept which consisted of hiring a different architect for each of the 65 métro stations. Each station is therefore unique and contains works from world-renowned artists.

What is a métro train?
A train can be made up of one, two or three elements. Each element is made up of three cars (a trailer between two powered units). A nine-car train corresponds exactly to the length of a station's platforms (152 metres), and can transport up to 1,200 passengers, of which 360 can be seated. The cars belong to two generations: the MR63, purchased for the opening of the métro (336 cars) and the MR73, purchased for the extensions made in the Seventies and Eighties (423 cars).

What is the maximum speed that a métro can reach between two stations?
The métro's maximum speed is 72 kilometres per hour

How many kilometres does the métro cover in a year?
The 759 métro cars cover about 60 million kilometres each year. Since 1966, métro car have travelled about 2 billion kilometres.

What is Télécité?
It is the métro's visual communications network. Designed in Québec, Télécité's luminous panels, that are put up in métro cars, principally serve to announce the names of the métro stations as well as provide information useful to commuters such as the transfer buses. Télécité is a technological breakthrough that makes riding the métro easier for visually or hearing impaired passengers.

What are the Points d'assistance (assistance point)?
An Assistance station is a cabinet where emergency devices can be found. Each of these stations contains:

• a red emergency telephone directly connected
  to the métro's Control Centre;
• a switch for track current
• a fire extinguisher

All Assistance stations are clearly identified with the hand logo and word ASSISTANCE.

In case of an emergency, do not hesitate to use this equipment!

What can I do if there's an emergency on a métro car?
If an emergency arises in a metro car, contact the train operator by using the intercom, in the upper centre of the car (find the sign with a hand symbol labeled "Assistance");

If the situation is extremely urgent, you can stop the train by pulling the emergency brake. If possible, use the emergency brake while the train is in a station and when the doors are open, because it is faster and easier for personnel to intervene in that state.

What event attracted the most métro users in one single day?
Two million people used the métro on 11 September 1984 to go see Pope John Paul II in Jarry Park. Every day, the métro transports 700,000 passengers. Since its opening, the métro has transported over 4 billion passengers!

Which are the busiest métro stations (annual ridership)?

The métro stayed open for 24 hours twice in its history. What were the reasons?

• On 3 March 1971, the métro ran all night because of an important snowstorm remembered as the snowstorm of the Century.
• On 31 December 1999, the métro remained open overnight and access was free as part of the celebrations of the passage to year 2000.

Why does the métro sometimes makes sudden stops?
Here are a few of the reasons that might cause the métro to come to a sudden stop: a passenger forces a door while the train is leaving the station; the operator sees something unusual on the tracks and activates the emergency brakes; a temporary power failure occurs in the control system.

What are the three notes we hear when a métro leaves a station?
In order to ensure a smooth departure, the MR-73 cars (servicing lines 2-orange, 4-yellow and 5-blue) are equipped with power choppers that release at short intervals the 750 volts needed to make the train go forward. It is these power choppers that produce the three notes heard upon departure.

Why can you sometimes smell peanuts in the métro?
Mechanical brakes relay the electrical brakes in the last 20 metres of the train's run. They are meant to make the braking process more pleasant for the passengers. They are cast in brake shoes made of cherry wood coated with peanut oil, which produces the particular odour that is perceived when the train brakes at high speeds.

Since when can musicians play in métro stations?
métro musicians formed an association in the early Eighties. There are now 65 locations, identified by a white lyre on a blue background, scattered among 44 stations where they can perform.

How long did it take to build the métro's tunnels?
The tunnels (a single conduit, without central pillars) were constructed in record time for this category, 16 miles in five years. Over 70% of the tunnels were pierced directly in rock, at a pace of about 12 metres each day. At these locations, a coat of concrete was applied to the surfaces of the tunnel. The other sections of the network were dug in trenches requiring reinforced concrete tunnels. The longest tunnel stretch links Berri-UQAM and Jean-Drapeau; it measures 2.5 kilometres. Between these two locations, the line descends 40 metres deep, 13.5 metres under the river bed.

Which distinctive City of Montréal development was initiated by the construction of the métro?
In continuation of the underground métro network was developed the underground city with 29 kilometres of corridors and servicing 80% of the downtown offices. The 500,000 people that stroll through it each day have access to 20 shopping malls and 2,000 businesses (boutiques, restaurants, movie theatres, hotels, colleges, universities, museums, apartment and office buildings). Public transit is linked to it via 10 métro stations, 2 train stations and 2 regional bus terminals.