Montreal Blue Line’s east extension progresses toward 2029 opening
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.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. 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 served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
