As I strolled through Berri-UQAM station yesterday morning, dodging the familiar dripping ceiling near the yellow line transfer corridor, I couldn’t help but wonder how many other Montrealers have developed similar mental maps of station imperfections. The puddle patterns at Berri, the crumbling tile edges at Lionel-Groulx, the perpetual scaffolding at McGill – these have become landmarks in their own right for daily commuters.
The reality behind these observations is now starkly documented. According to a comprehensive infrastructure report released last week by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), nearly half of our metro stations are currently in poor or very poor condition. Specifically, 34 of Montreal’s 68 metro stations received a “D” or “E” grade, reflecting significant deterioration across the network.
“We’re facing the consequences of decades of deferred maintenance,” explains Jean Trudeau, engineering consultant and infrastructure specialist who has studied Montreal’s transportation systems for over 15 years. “The metro system was built in the 1960s for Expo 67 and expanded in the 1970s and ’80s. Many stations are now showing their age simultaneously.”
The report identifies water infiltration as the most pervasive problem, affecting 27 stations to varying degrees. The freeze-thaw cycles of Montreal’s harsh climate have taken a particularly heavy toll on stations with outdoor entrances or ventilation systems, creating structural vulnerabilities that worsen exponentially when left unaddressed.
I spoke with Marie Charbonneau, STM maintenance worker who’s been with the organization for 22 years, during my usual Thursday morning commute. “We’re constantly patching things up, but it’s like putting bandages on something that needs surgery,” she told me while directing passengers away from a cordoned section at Place-des-Arts station. “The public only sees the surface issues – the real problems are deeper in the structure.”
The financial picture complicates matters further. The Montreal Gazette reports the STM faces a maintenance backlog estimated at $4.5 billion. Provincial funding has increased modestly in recent years, but experts agree it falls well short of addressing the accumulated deficit of infrastructure investment.
Perhaps most concerning is the potential safety impact. While the STM maintains that all stations remain safe for public use, internal documents obtained through access to information requests indicate that 12 stations require “priority intervention” for issues that could eventually compromise operational safety if left unaddressed.
The stations in most critical condition include some of the network’s busiest hubs: Berri-UQAM, Lionel-Groulx, McGill, and Bonaventure all received “E” grades, while Côte-Vertu, Snowdon, and Jean-Talon received “D” ratings. These seven stations alone handle approximately 40% of daily passenger volume across the entire network.
Walking through Lionel-Groulx last Tuesday, I noticed renovation work has begun on the central staircase connecting orange and green lines – part of what the STM calls “targeted interventions.” But critics argue this piecemeal approach addresses symptoms rather than root causes.
Urban planning professor Catherine Morency from Polytechnique Montréal suggests we’re facing a crucial decision point. “Montreal needs to decide if public transit remains a core priority,” she told me during our interview at her campus office. “If so, we need to commit to a comprehensive renewal plan that spans multiple political cycles. Other cities with aging systems like New York and London have been forced to make similar choices.”
The consequences of continued deterioration extend beyond passenger comfort. Research from Tourism Montreal indicates that visitors increasingly cite public transportation quality as a factor in their overall impression of the city. With tourism contributing approximately $4 billion annually to Montreal’s economy, the connection between infrastructure and economic vitality becomes clearer.
Some
