Montreal Blue Line’s east extension progresses toward 2029 opening

March 30, 2022

The extension will be below grade and include five new universally accessible stations.

A map of the planned eastern extension of Montreal's Blue Line.

Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is moving forward with an eastern extension of the Montreal Blue Line with five new stations between Saint-Michel and Anjou, the extended line’s new terminus.

The C$6.4 billion (US$5.12 billion) extension is being funded in part by the province of Quebec, which will provide a C$1.12 billion (US$0.9 billion) grant to STM, which will be used to continue planning the extension, as well as for metro asset maintenance programs and its universal accessibility program. The federal government committed C$1.3 billion (US$1.04 billion) toward the project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan.

The planned extension went through a review by an action group in 2021. The group consisted of representatives from Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), the city of Montreal, STM, the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) and the Ministère des Transports (MTQ). The action group provided recommendations on how to best serve the mobility needs of residents in eastern Montreal. The recommendations included:

The location of a secondary kiosk at the Anjou terminal, east of Highway 25, which will allow an entire sector to have access to the blue line;
The maintenance of several local businesses in Anjou by relocating several structures of the terminal station;
Removal of incentive parking at Anjou station;
Maintenance of the shopping center at the intersection of Jean-Talon Street and Pie-IX Boulevard; and
Integration with CDPQ Infra's planned REM de l'Est project.

Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the Board of Directors of STM, called the Blue Line extension plan excellent news for STM, its customers and residents of Montreal's east end. He said the extension will serve as a portrait for sustainable mobility.

The province has authorized STM to issue a Request for Qualifications with the aim of awarding a contract for the main tunnel of the project.

The nearly six-kilometer (3.7-mile) project is expected to open in 2029.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.