A week after presenting financial reports, with a budget hole of 78 million, the Société de Transporte de Montréal (STM) is making a new heartfelt cry to higher governments, fearing “fatal” cuts. More if additional sums of money are not released.
“We really need to work to finance the operation of public transport. This is a burden we all share. There must be solutions. The current system is not viable in the short, medium and long term,” said Eric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the company’s board of directors, on Monday before the Finance Commission in Montreal City Hall.
A municipal councilor said it was a question of consumer retention. “We need more money. There should be higher governments. Without that, inevitably, we would no longer have this service offering,” said Mr Caldwell.
Photo by Patrick Sanfaccone, Law Press Archives
Eric Alan Caldwell
In an “ideal” world, according to him, government funding would “explode” from Quebec City to the Autorité Régionale de Transporte Métropolitain (ARTM), and then from there to the STM. “There is an order to review,” the selectman also called for a change of mindset.
We still have to fight to get all our funding because there is always the feeling that it is an extra service. […] If we compare ourselves to traditional mobility, no one wants to let our sidewalks and our roads fall into disrepair.
Eric Alan Caldwell, President of STM
A big hole to fill
By the end of November, the STM recognized that a significant increase in the shortfall, which is exactly 77.8 million, will cause service cuts this year. Some high-frequency bus lines and services to the city center in particular may see their frequency reduced. On the Metro, the fastest service during rush hour is reduced by thirty minutes on the Orange Line, while on the Green Line, the journey between each train is at most fifteen seconds longer.
General Manager Marie-Claude Léonard bluntly states that “STM must evolve” to face its two roles: operator and project supplier. “We have to make bold decisions when necessary,” she slipped.
Photo by Patrick Sanfaccone, Law Press Archives
Marie-Claude Leonard
For the rest, DG predicts a return of 75 to 80% pre-pandemic ridership on Metro and Montreal buses in 2023. Currently, this figure is 69% during the week, but increases to 79% during the weekend.
Soon, “we should stop talking about pre-pandemic traffic, but about the new traffic”, M on Mondayme Leonardo. “A return to 100% doesn’t mean the same customers are in the same slots at the same time,” she argued, adding that “bonuses need to be made outside of peak times.”
The blue line goes forward
On a more optimistic note, STM has also confirmed – revealed Press Last week – the opening of the call for tenders for the construction of the future 6.4 km tunnel linking Saint-Michel to Anjou. The company chosen to carry out the work “will be known in the second half of 2023”.
In addition to digging the tunnel, the supplier is also responsible for excavating Pie-IX, Viau and Lacordaire stations to prepare for the work, as well as “certain auxiliary structures”.
In a press release, the transport company argued that “the tunnel boring machine is environmentally friendly and silent through its power supply, so that citizens are not even aware of its passage under their homes”.
In the next few months, “other calls for tenders will follow with the aim of granting various contracts, which will eventually allow the project to be carried out”, explained the STM, which is still working on the commissioning. Blue Line for 2029, with a budget of around 6.4 billion.
