If you make a video in French with the thesis “Montreal is copying Toronto… and it shouldn’t” I genuinely believe you have a shot at changing the narrative here.

I never considered the placement of columns as a _cost savings_ but you're not wrong! Now I'm thinking about Seattle's new LR stations... 🤔

I hear you speaking about new lines, extended systems, platform screen doors, automated trains, increased frequency, and all the wonderful new things that places like Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and the rest of the world are getting. Then I look at my hometown of Orlando. One commuter rail line that goes from where no one wants to go from to where no one wants to go to with ridiculously low frequency and no night or weekend service. And did I mention our gloriously lousy bus service? And then I start to cry. Florida: where urban planning and public transit goes to die. 😢 That being said, keep up the good work. At least I can see where someone is getting good transit. Because we never will. 🤬

Just wanted to add a bit of information: - Platforms on the old stations would need to be reinforced to support PSDs. The new stations are supposed to be PSD ready, but I don’t understand why we don’t already install them at this point. - The STM has confirmed that the old MR-73 cannot be retrofitted for CBTC and the blue line will exclusively be running Azur trains - All the lines, except maybe the yellow line, already have some form of intrusion detection system in tunnels. I don’t remember if those systems are also enabled in station, but I suspect they are or that it could be included in the signalling upgrades - The platforms at Saint-Michel can currently only accommodate 6 car trains, those platforms extensions were roughed in during its conception. I suspect that a significant portion of the projects funds will serve to tear down the walls and prepare that roughed in section of the station. - Seeing how the line will only run Azur trains, which are CBTC ready and it already has an intrusion detection system, I guess the main reason why we’re not going with automation off the bat is because the STM wants to share the rolling stock between the orange and blue line, which means keeping driver cabs. I don’t think those cabs affect automation, but maybe they think it’s not worth it if it’s still there? idk.

"Come along with me as I get irrationally angry about trains" is one of the best video introductions I've ever heard.

Platform doors were planned on the Orange line before the pandemic by the STM, but it was canceled during the pandemic because there is no more money for new projects, and then they announce this!

I’m just happy the Blue Line is finally getting it’s extension. And for the record I don’t think REM de L’Est isn’t dead just yet. I’m willing to bet that the proposal will surface again once REM gets going and people get used to its presence.

Awesome article, but it's been a long time since Montreal was the second largest French speaking city in the world; it is in fact now #10 behind Kinshasa Paris, Abidjan, Yaoundé, Casablanca, Bamako, Ouagadougou, Algiers, Dakar and then Montreal. 😊

As someone who uses the STM and STL i am concerned about their wants to cut costs and cut back on services... Would also be nice if stoppages were less frequent, as if preventing that and deaths isnt a good reason to add the doors. When an accident occurs on a dangerous exit on a highway the exit was changed immediately yet many people can be hurt or die on the Metro tunnel without so much as a proposition to add barricades or doors.

Timecodes: 0:00 - Why there is no platform screen doors? 05:20 - Why platform screen doors are good 09:17 - Paris has a platform screen doors 12:45 - How can you save money to install platform screen doors 13:00 - Plafrom screen doors

The problem is that automating lines means that lots of people lose their jobs. Unions tend to (rightly) be annoyed at people who try to eliminate the jobs of their members.

In turin italy they are extending the only line we currently have, the project includes 4 stations, changing the signaling system and 6 new trains and it's doing it for less than 300ml€, the line is already automatized, but clearly with the extra 200ml$ montreal is spending that shouldn't be a problem to implement . . .

The Montreal Metro is one of my favourites. I make a point of using it when I travel to Montreal, even if I don't need too. :)

Fantastic video as always chief! I live in Budapest and we build a brand new, automated metro in 2014 and it got a tonne of criticism at the time for the initial cost but actually now the operating costs per passenger km are like half of even our busiest tram/streetcar/light rail lines because of driverless operation. Trains run at 90 second intervals in the peak periods, travel 2x faster than the aforementioned on-street lines, are fully air-conditioned, fully accessible and so "normal" now that nobody bats an eyelid. Unsurprisingly it's mostly French, Alstom tech. I don't know why more more systems aren't rolling this out. Keep up the good work!

Paris here, the M4 is being automated. It’s currently mixing classic and driverless trains. They spent a lot of time installing the PSDs. Every night the century old platforms were reinforced with concrete. Then they started with the screen doors, in a clever way : every night a new short section was installed in the same direction as the trains (avoids trapping someone against the first section) and fully functional on the morning. After few weeks, the whole platform was done, they would move to the next station etc.

I've lived in Montreal my entire life. And, I'm older than that Montreal metro system! I like your ideas. But, never underestimate Montreal's ability to step over dollars to pick up pennies! And, never forget Montreal's deep love of kick backs! There is a reason why we paid for 5x the amount of concrete actually used to build the Olympic Stadium!

When I first arrived at Montreal I was shocked to see that there's no train to the airport, that the metro platforms don't have screen doors, that the metros and buses are so infrequent, that not all metro stations have accessibility elevators. After I stayed here for a few months I still don't understand why there are so few suburban trains. I just took those things for granted. The lack of public transit literally took my freedom away.

never underestimate the power of unions getting very angry at the prospect of people losing their jobs, even if it’s overall beneficial to the system; also, installing platform screen doors after CBTC has been implemented is not surprising, São Paulo does this all the time

I am a big fan of the Montréal metro and the STM, so it pains me to say this: I agree with everything you said in this video. Although I might understand why platform screen doors aren't installed on the blue line since the MR-73 trains are still good to go for perhaps 10 more years. Nevertheless, the STM is able to (and should) do better. I think that their projects are good, but there is often this feeling of not doing things all the way. I blame the lack of money, but sensible choices are still needed.

In Paris we also have line 4 (1908) that is getting its automation finished this year, another historic line that goes through a lot of touristic sites, and this was done with 256 millions € including the stations renovation. Also, the busy line 13 (1911) is planned to be automated by 2035... (It already has platform screen doors though). Not to mention that most of the automation was done at night while the line doesn't open... Tbh, I think that IDFM and RATP choice to automate those lines was at first made to face the strikes not so much to add some trains per hour. But we can clearly see a lack of ambition with Montréal not chosing to automate this line... Automated trains system are good ! Here in Rennes, France, line b of the metro opened in september 2022 and we now have two metro lines with a 99% regularity rate... For a city of only 215 000.

STM underground parking for buses and trains is crazy stupid, but upgrades to Blue line are good start. ReM De Lest needs a lot of better planning, and less NIMBY interference

I commend you for your thorough research, you are well informed. The REM is a surface metro, so it's normal that it's cheaper. Also, one problematic and neglected aspect of the blue line extension is that additional load that it will bring to the already saturated orange line. Also, the platform screen doors are complex to retrofit, as for many stations, the nightly 4h maintenance bring machinery which couldn't be done as easily. If you plan a new station to have those doors, you can also plan access shafts to ensure easier maintenance.

If you think the current STM metro can be automated, you clearly don't understand how influential and unbending the STM union is.

One reason they may not be able to add ATC right now is the company that supplied the skytrain ATC has stopped offering the current version of this product and the replacement isn't ready yet. If you're skytrain maybe you're willing to order trains with an atc system that doesn't exist yet, but I can see why Montreal wouldn't.

Very interesting points you're making. I never thought of platform screen doors as cost savers, maybe because here in Switzerland (and in Germany) they are virtually non-existent. I always thought, it would be nice to have them because then, you could close overground metro stations with windows and protect waiting passengers from cold winds in winter.

Anyone else find it satisfying watching the first second of this video over and over again?

As a Montrealer this was a good video, I wish we could be better lol

Moving-block (this is a much better term for what you're talking about) signalling is a much more significant upgrade than platform screen doors though. They can add automation, the complicated part of automation is the moving block signal system anyway.

The video neglects to mention a key reason why public transit projects are much more expensive in Montreal than in Paris (France, not Ontario). This is Montreal's culture of corruption. This ranges from the crony corruption of political insiders getting "consulting" contracts for doing... nothing... to organized crime gangs infiltrating the labour unions. Corruption costs money and that is why projects are so much more expensive in Quebec than in France.

"So come along with me as I get irrationally angry about trains." Me when I talk about anything to do with public transport.

I feel that part of the issue is that the city doesn't want to cut jobs with automation. Also, it's hard to believe that there is still no way to buy a ticket on your phone and use RFID to scan.

I'm from Santiago, but live in Toronto, and love visiting Montreal. I'm amazed at how Santiago has been able to build 4 new highways inside the city (including one that runs directly below the main river), and 5 new subway lines in the last 25 years. But then, Montreal and Toronto did something similar some 2-3 decades earlier; but not anymore. It's not about money, it's simply about political will, and the will to make it cost-conscious and affordable.

For all the STM operations, the city of Montreal is working exclusively with the Canadian subsidiary of Alstom. Alstom is a French company. Since there is virtually no competition for these bids, Alstom just gouges them.

I think Reece likes platform screen doors. LOL. In London the Jubilee Line Extension had them added but they didn't retrofit them to the older parts of the line, so I'm wondering if Montreal has considered that? I don't think it's the best solution, but it's better than not adding any at all. I'm not sure why they left them out of the Northern Line Extension. Maybe they didn't feel it was worth it for just 2 stations because they would have needed to upgrade the trains and probably signalling along the whole line (which I believe they did do for the JLE).

Hi. French here. I'm sorry to see that despite using the same trains and track design as M1 and M14, they're not upgrading your stuff with our off-the-shelve hardware. That is plainly stupid.

I would so support the idea of screen doors for STM and the lives that can potentially save! Back in 2019, I was at Snowdon station when I saw a guy tip-toeing at the edge of the platform, it was so incredibly uncomfortable to look, I tried to get his attention a few times to which he fully ignored and so I pulled him over to a bench with zero effort like holding cardboard paper, it was both surprising and terrifying! He was very zoned out in his mind and suicidal. When some security guards came, they thought I was the crazy one and questioned the lack of evidence to prove that he was truly going to jump over to the upcoming train. Maybe we'd never know until after the fact these people truly jumped? Screen doors across STM could improve safety/preventive measures! Improving what's already in service.

The STM has wanted (at least from a financial standpoint) to automate the network for years. Growing up in Montreal I learned that unions can go a long way to slow down and outright prevent modernization. All this to say, the main reason the STM will remain the way it is for years is because it cannot make decisions that impact their staff in any major way.

Would love a video on the specifics of how operating costs work for transit. I understand it's cheaper to operate automated metros but how much cheaper. And how long would it take to make up the extra up front cost for various upgrades.

Don't forget the STM transit cutbacks they announced for this year. They say ridership is still just 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Shorter peak service periods, longer headways for the metro (ie orange line will be 2-mintes longer per train during peak hours, and greater reductions in off-peak hours).

Great video! I definitely agree about the gold-plated projects approach of the STM. It is, in many ways, a very old school organization that has grown accustomed to working with Montreal's notoriously corrupt engineering and construction firms. Somebody's uncle always needs to gets paid or the project gets cancelled... A couple minor quibbles: - the Blue line extension will probably serve as many passengers as the entire REM system. The East end of Montreal is quite densely populated, has some of the lowest car ownership neighborhoods, and runs through low income areas where transit is a necessity. The REM serves mostly low density, high car ownership, relatively affluent suburban areas. Both projects are great though, and will reinforce ridership in tandem at the Edouard-Montpetit transfer station. Prior to that transfer, the Blue line was an incomplete project that has been essentially shelved since the 1980s. -I suspect the reason the STM doesn't push for more automation has to do with the transit workers unions. These unions generally push back quite hard against any form of automation, which is understandable. While labor is one of the biggest operating costs of any network, I'm not sure it's the best place to tighten the belt. -Finally, the budget cuts to the STM come from a really lousy provincial government. The STM lost a bunch of ridership during COVID, and the current administration has basically told them to cut service and balance the budget. The cuts will undermine the system as a whole and push people towards car ownership. If it were up to Legault, they'd cancel the Blue Line altogether and graft on some dirt cheap, privately built LRT. The sooner that man is out, the better.

You forgot to mention Quebec's problem with organized crime and corruption. I agree that barriers and automation should be done first. Now that the TTC Yonge line has upgraded signals I do see an improvement in frequency, but it comes crashing down with someone on track or a security issue. I know someone from the TTC and the person says a lot of these don't get reported officially. Adding the barriers and improving response times for security incidents will improve the system drastically. I don't know about Montreal but Toronto is getting more mentally unstabled incidents and punk kids attacking operators and crew.

Automated with high frequency just makes so much sense nowadays. Maybe North American cities just need to contract directly with Eurasian companies, to get stuff done properly and at a reasonable cost. The UK seemed to have a problem with spending tens of billions for rail improvement projects that only lasted a few years before the trails were bad again. While the Netherlands and Switzerland seemed to have silky smooth, efficient, reliable, affordable trains, for seemingly less government money.

The title should be "i love doors in the subways"

As a Montrealer, I am not a fan of those platform doors. They look ugly and kind of cuts the stations in half in a way that would make it lose the open-space aesthetics that we have now. It's admittedly a petty reason, and I am sure that it would also make the metros safer in general. I also love the fact that when I part ways with a friend taking the metro in opposite directions, we can still talk to each other to some extent. I could be convinced otherwise, but I think the focus on platform doors in this video might be out of touch with what Montrealers might want from their metro system.

Could you please do an update on Calgary transit especially in regards to the Green Line I believe it's called that is being constructed I heard a portion of it is a subway? I would love to learn more about Calgary transit and how it all intertwines and what the future holds. Thank you

Comment from a French guy here, I think it is quite a wate (not preparing the line for better transit). Because from what I understand the North of Montreal is lacking transit options. And this new one will likely make lots of people use the line so why not making it truly ready to carry these people ? In Paris we spent most of our money catching up, because our transit often got overused in comparison to what it was built for. That's what the Grand Paris Express was thought for, Montreal should really look to what is being done elsewhere to do even better.

Paris Region authorities switched from line to automate next after line 4, Line 13 will be done instead of Line 11 that was prepared with its extension to recieve automation, with new trains and refurbished platforms ready to add platform Screen doors... Instead Line 13 will have to be remade entirely (platform screen doors installed on Line 13 were prototypes, platforms were not properly refurbished and thus, a true automation will require demolishing those doors and replace them with Line 4 type ones, and thus require to remake most of the platforms... And change the rolling stocj to a new one because the 40 yo MF77 won't be able to be automated, obviously. The good and the bad. Bad decision was to interrupt Line 11 automation roughtly just at project beginning, good decision, standardize the system on Line 13 despite the preliminary doors already installed AND buy new trains that were necessary in the first place for the lines that still run old 1960s and 70s stocks. That being said what was done on Line 11 wlll remain and make the line's automation more easily possible in the future and to be fair, that wasn't the most essential line to automate in the first place, since the second extension to Noisy (to the Grand Paris Express section) was pushed back (despite local alites trying to relaunch the project recently). Line 13 is desperatly needing some love... but automating it will be the easy way to try to solve its problems. The main problem of the branches cuting in half its capacity beyond the common trunk remains... And yet, authorities still don't want to get rid of the problem, making it cost more and more each time they push it away... And truly, the network has so many other bigger problems, especially in the RER that money not being magically created, limits the possbilities so to speak... At least we don't stay on old signalling standards when getting an extension. Montreal seems to think like Paris did in the 50s... or even the 30s. Old already obsolete metro designs were still made back then just to be compatible with preexisting stock. Paris Line 10 is overhauling its power supply for new signalling systems and new trains to prepare for the possible extension to the East and to welcome the new MF-19 stock in a few years anyway. BTW, the MF-19 will be the new version of the MF-01 and built as to be turned into automated trains easily as the MP-14 was. Honestly it looks more like a Yamanote line train than a Paris metro, but whatever... May be we will have longitudinal seating on Line 13??? Anyway, the main goal in such operations should be 'kill two birds with one stone'. Pay a lot for a multiple faced project to solve all problems at once. As for Platform Screendoors, after the cabling is done and the platform reinforcement is done, doors are modules, so one set of doors and side panels with their electrical set are brang by a workshop train and installed one at a time, with one or two per platform every night. So a Line 1 or 4 station is done in approximately two weeks (they don't work on weekend nights, so 5 nights a week). If you do one station at a time, equipment of 29 stations will take a little more than a year. The longer part is unseen by passengers, it's the cable installation of the whole track from one end of the line to the other... it takes at least a year, if not more without closing the line earlier on some nights. Paris had to close the lines in works two hours earlier 5 nights a week for two years. (first stations take longer for the crews to get used to the procedure and make all the necessary checks before going further, at the end they even could install three doors on borh platforms in the same night, the record was a station completed in 7 nights. If properly done and crews properly trained, the work can go very fast.

“….the problems that North American and Canadian cities faces.” So Canada is not in North America!?!?!?

I don't understand platform screen doors or why they would be so important. It just seems like a waste of money, adding more parts that can fail and thus should be maintained, while not adding too much to the travel experience. The only upside I see is the aforementioned inclusion of structural elements in newly built station, which, since many metro stations have been built over the years without the need for those structural elements, is not that big of an upside. Also, they are ugly in my opinion.

As an ex-Montrealer I can attest that a fair amount of subway stations don't have elevator access from the street level. YUP.

starting a video with "I'm sorry" was so Canadian 😂

I love your videos and you have a lot of rights in here. I need to correct you on the fact that Kinshasa is the biggest French-speaking city, Paris second Abidjan third and Montreal 4th.

Hey RM, great video! Fellow transit enthusiast & Montréaler here and I just wanted to say I think the main issue the STM has with installing platform screen doors right now is that the metro cars on the two different train generations has an inconsistent number of doors. For example, only new MPM-10 trains run on the Orange line with 3 doors per car but the Green line runs these along with the old MR-73 trains which have 4 doors per car. This might not be a big deal on the Blue line since it only runs the old trains but this is by design, the terminus (St. Michelle) platform on the far East side of the Blue line was never finished allowing only for a 6 car train due to the Blue line’s low traffic, this is said to be fixed with the new extension but either way installing platform screen doors and beams around them for 4 door trains might be a waste of money if when new Azur trains are bought they’ll all have to be re-done anyway. Just a thought. Love your videos.

I’m not sure if you’ve talked about it in another video, but can you explain why building transit costs so much more than any where else in the world? How in the world is this blue line extension one of the most expensive projects in the world??

Hi, thanks for sharing yours opinion, but I live in Montreal and a regular user of our metro, and I say NO, NO, NO. to the platform door in metro station. The reason why is: it makes it claustrophobic area. I like the way that it is like now, you have sensation of freedom because there is no fence. I am sorry for my stupid idea, because I understand that the platform will avoid some accidents, in another hand we are in Canada no need to put fence and to lock your door. Sorry

Western metro: we need to shut down the line for years so that it can have PSD and CBTC HK MTR: *amateurs*

Sounds like the (north) American Cost Snake bit Montréal No one is safe

Does the contract with the drivers union even allow STM to have driverless trains? Unless it does I can see them not wanting to spend money on something that can never be used. In Ottawa the Confederation Line doesn’t need drivers but OC is not allowed to have driverless vehicles due to the union.

You should go to Chicago and take the train from O'Hare to the city. Wildest roller coaster I've been on.

I'm from the city that pioneered platform screen doors (but where they did not really catch on): Saint-Petersburg. Leningrad was the first city in the world to use platform screen doors and it was a cost-saving measure to cheapen construction. It was dropped because it was decided that the increased maintenance costs are not worth it, new ones were only added to new stations near the football stadium. Incidents because of it are exceptionally rare. Also, Moscow and Saint-Petersburg have some of the most frequent trains in the world (the interval at rush hour is around a minute, sometimes even less) and the Moscow Metro has the best on-time performance in the world without either fully automated operation (we have a form of automated train control though, named ALS-ARS (standing for Automatic Locomotive Signaling with Automatic Regulation of Speed) that allows to have only 1 engineer on board instead of 2) or platform screen doors.

Expensive subway extensions? See 2nd Avenue in NYC. The cost per station is insane because they are unnecessarily digging far down, and putting in full length mezzanines just to cut down on the noise and vibrations at street level… that makes no sense since it’s New York, not a quiet farm in the middle of nowhere! Edit: until phase 3, it’s not a “new line” it’s just extending the Q train uptown.

They are changing to the Azur trains on the blue line (and going to 9 car trains by expanding Saint Michel platform). It was in STM press release. I don't know if that means they are buying a new batch of Azur trains or switching the current trains from other lines though.

The $500 million price tag on this project was really eye popping when I read it yesterday

The Olympic stadium still makes the news. The latest roof is an improvement, but shows cracks. It's always a question of "should I go or should I stay?" . Future-proofing base structure.

How far into development is this upgrade by now? Is it already a fixed plan or can it still change to include automation and platform-screen doors with enough public pressure?

The NYC subway pillars and platform layout aren't uniform enough to use as structures for platform screen doors. In fact the pillars are obstacles to them. In fact most New Yorkers like the open layout. Automated NYC subways? That's is an idea that will occur sooner rather than later. You said that since these trains will have to be upgraded we should just move forward to....That's a huge assumption. What is the financial situation of the Montreal Metro? How much debt do they have? Are they constrained in how much they can borrow? These are really important issues for metro systems going forward. You're personalizing this issue too much.

Great video as always. I have learnt a few points: efficiency, practicality, and reliability are essential for good transit.

Montreal's Metro has always been "freakishly fast" even compared to the most modern CBTC-equipped subway systems. Their trains rapidly accelerate and hit 45 mph almost everywhere on the network. With 90-second to 3-minute headways, Montreal's Metro can match the line capacity and boarding density of the multiple track A-train line on the New York Subway. With the exception of the yellow line, Montreal's trains had always been self-driving since the late 1970's: train operators simply close doors and press "start", which an unmanned system cannot do as fast as a human. The train operator is there to intervene and squeeze every last ounce of performance from a rubber-tired train in manual mode in case rail traffic control needs the train to run a series of the quickest interstation runs to catch up. Of course, metro efficiency is more a function of passenger behavior and loads rather than traffic control systems.

Being from the Netherlands, I never realized platform screen doors are common anywhere. We do not have them anywhere in NL as far as I know, not even on the "newly" opened North-South line of Amsterdam. I guess I have a new thing to complain about when it comes to Dutch public transport, thanks!

can't think of what to say here but hello & good morning from vancouver reece

I think you should live in Paris for a year or two to really see how it is. Sure the network seems great and you can go anywhere pretty quickly, but there's so much you haven't seen... When it rains a lot, the metro entrances get flooded. There's a strike a month on average. The metro air is badly polluted, worse than on the surface during smog alerts. Safety is a big issue on some lines, whether it's harassment (mainly for women), or theft. The network is not reliable, especially for RER and Transilien. And they don't know how to finance everything. They recently increased the price of the Navigo pass by about 14% and are now looking for funding or they say they will have to increase it by as much as 50%... Modernity of the system is an issue too : we only recently got rid of paper tickets, and you can't use your phone as a ticket. Like you said accessibility is bad, many connections require you to walk for a long time with endless stairs. And finally, you should actually talk to people who use these lines on a daily basis. You will see that there is mostly resentment towards the metro and trains. I would say the number 1 complaint is reliability/strikes, too often you're late for work coz your train isn't there. And number 2 is safety, you won't find a woman who hasn't been bothered at least once.

STM doesn't do things for the "M" of STM, it makes things for the "ST" part of STM.

I live in Lausanne (Switzerland) and we have a little automated metro with platform screen doors here. The city is 160 thousands people and we have it since 2008. To be fair that's the only metro in Switzerland because we prefer to make train and tram lines instead but it's funny to point out that it was made in this little city long before any canadian city has an automated metro line.

"Canada as a country could learn so much from francophones" 😪😪 thank u, i luv u

Sadly in Montréal we don’t have as different a political context from the rest of Canada as you might hope, since the federal govt only pays for infrastructure projects (basically CapEx only) and the provincial govt is basically a 70s North American govt obsessed with gdp growth and trying to make cars go faster even if everyone with half a brain knows and says that car traffic only gets worse with more car infrastructure. The only govt level that cares about transit and humans is the municipal level (both in Montréal and Quebec City) but they are woefully underfunded because they still depend on property tax.

“North American and Canadian cities…” Wait, what?

What RM doesn't seem to understand is that converting lines to be automated, while saving 10s of millions, would also cost 10s, maybe even dozens, of jobs. And the Union will never allow that.

I remember the STM quoting something absolutely ridiculous to add platform doors a few years back, but don't remember the exact figure. Do you remember what is was? All I can recall is that I had a very similar reaction to Paige's lol

Most people drive in Montreal. Especially because car insurance and parking is so cheap there compared to other major cities. It's the cheapest major city to drive in. I doubt the city will be any less car centric in the future. Most of the city isn't accessible by rapid transit and the STM is so infrequent plus the winters are so cold there and owning a car is just so much more convenient than waiting outside for a bus.

The main reason for converting existing metro lines to automatic running is to enable more trains to be run, as it removes the human factor (human drivers do not behave exactly the same, so one train can slow down the next one).

Montréal, the city that built a stadium for $1 billion...in 1976.

Recent events in France also highlight another massive advantage of full automation - they're fully strike-proof! You can still get to work, visit friends or roam around even if employees are having a difference of opinion with their employer or with the government.

You missed something here that's probably the most important reason for the costs here in Montreal. The graft! It's the reason projects cost more in Quebec and that's because all the construction companies are in on it. They make money hand over fist and they're not interested in innovating unless it makes THEM money. They don't care if the transit authority or the City makes more money or saves a bunch because it means nothing to them. Want a perfect example? A little while back some researchers here in Montreal came up with a new form of asphalt that is stronger and more durable. Construction companies here want nothing to do with it because it means less work even though that mentality is wrong because if you build something really well and it lasts we can move on to more and better projects instead of constantly spending on the same one. (see old Turcot interchange, Old Champlain bridge, Mercier bridge ect)

I love your videos, i am watching it from Taipei where they have screen doors everywhere and automated metros. I hope Montreal will eventually follow the same path. Sadly i ll be back in a week, i ll miss this outstanding system until the REM will be running. Thanks for your thorough work!

As someone who has some experience with Qc working culture: The problem is unions. There is no way they will allow automation without making sure every single one of those drivers gets a desk job that pays as much, if not more.

Video suggestion: Germany will introduce a nation-wide local+regional transport ticket (Bus, Tram, Tube and Train) for 49 Euros ($50) a month starting this May. Austria already has something similar. Would be great to have an international perspective on it once it's up and running.

I understand that you might assume that the excessive spending on construction here in MTL (Quebec) is insane but you must also understand that (one of the biggest factor are) our construction regulations that are completely different than anywhere else in North America. Any construction workers here must be part of the construction field; certificate in whichever field of work "Card holder" (carpenter, masson, demolition, cleaner, plumber,etc...), active ccq card and an active union member. As there are various construction site ongoing in the city and a limited amount of workers; as these are the "norm" here, outsourcing workers isn't possible as they do not have these. Any new site must bid to retain workers; all these restrictions cause any and all projects to be 2x if not more than any comparable project anywhere else in North America. These regulations have been in place long after the initial shovel of dirt was taken from the ground to build the Métro and well after it's completion. This is the reason why prefabricated homes are a "thing" here as they cost much less than traditionally built homes as these workers are not required to hold any of these certificates. 😜 It might seem like a small issue but when paying for anything, labour is the reason for the high cost. Per example a carpenter of 20yrs in Ontario is avg 28$ vs Quebec 37$🤣

Interesting take, however I feel like OP completely disregard the political aspect of the blue line extension. The STM us not profitable and needs the governments to heavily funds those kind of projects. The STM can't simply decide to use that money for another project and any savings would not be relocated but simply reduced the size of the Government check. Also OP certainly did not account for the costs to "just upgrade the trains" along with the line, that's a couple of additional hundred of millions alone (also requiring Government approval).. Screen doors are probably a good long-term cost-saving measure but you need to take into consideration how public transit is underfunded in North-America when comparing it to Europe (or much denser cities), that blue line project alone has been delayed for more than 30+ years and no major upgrades where made to the metro since the 70s, we're very much playing catch-up here.

"This is a problem when so many North American, and Canadian cities...." Dude, Canada is in North America.

Hi, do you think an Electrified Regional rail link between Seattle and Vancouver would make sense ? Similar to Amtrak and MARC between Baltimore and DC. Both cities have been investing a lot on local transit, but not much on regional rail. This corridor has densities similar to parts of Western Europe, so I think electrified regional rail could work.

Short-term thinking is rampant in Canada. Even in Vancouver. It takes three decades to plan and build a train line extension in a major suburb (Surrey) when the roads are chokehold clogged. It’s like they don’t expect the city to grow or exist in the next 20 years.

Your videos are getting so much better! Congrats! Good job 🎉

Im surprised you havent ripped your hair out in an intrro yet considerin the many questionable transit decisions youve covered on the channel so far

People in Québec have a strong "not in my backyard mentality" thats why rem est got cancelled and even the Québec city tram is having trouble because local média just wont stop being against it. They will be for a 6 lane highway tunnel going by downtown Québec and Lévis. (Lévis doesnt have any bus transit this week, which is interesting for a city of 200k people).

I think the main issue is the Montréal building companies are all corrupt. Projects are constantly delayed, and you'll probably see 6 people shouting stuff at pedestrians or on their phone while one guy is digging a hole.

reminds me of the 1976 olympics which left the city of Montreal with a massive debt that took 40 years to clear!

I get the argument for automation and fancy glass doors, but I think calling this a mistake goes too far. The blue line has been too short for years. I think it makes sense to expand and then upgrade. Thanks for sharing

Try getting those suggestions past the unions

Safety and violence on the TTC would make a good episode.

I lived in mtl for a while and yeah after 10 pm the orange line is always being disrupted (screen doors would be handy)