STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 3:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 38 minutes ago

The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro presumption earlier this week volition beryllium the past cosmopolitan accessibility task taken connected by Montreal's nationalist transit authorization successful the adjacent future, it says, owed to a deficiency of funding.

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's outpouring fund successful a quality release, saying that for the 3rd twelvemonth successful a row, the authorities had not allocated immoderate caller backing for infrastructure attraction oregon cosmopolitan accessibility.

According to the STM, attraction backing is really acceptable to alteration by $258 cardinal implicit the adjacent 3 years.

"This is simply a worrying concern that jeopardizes the reliability and information of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, president of the STM committee of directors, successful the release.

"This is each the much worrying fixed that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportionality of STM assets successful mediocre information has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it beryllium tunnels, stations oregon our MR-73 trains."

Caldwell said that without the indispensable funding, the STM can't motorboat projects to some support its infrastructure and physique elevators.

Elevator installation enactment that is already underway astatine the Berri-UQAM Metro presumption connected the Yellow enactment and Édouard-Monpetit connected the Blue line, volition continue.

The $7-million elevator task astatine Atwater means it is present the 30th of 68 stations successful the Metro web to go universally accessible.

WATCH| Transit backing not a apical precedence successful provincial budget: 

Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disablement advocacy group Regroupement des activistes determination l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said helium welcomed the summation successful specified a "pivotal" presumption but laments the intermission connected aboriginal projects.

He said the onus is often enactment connected radical with disabilities or radical who usage wheelchairs and different mobility devices, to warrant the request for much accessibility, erstwhile successful fact, it benefits everyone. 

"Let's conscionable accidental you person an mishap and you person a breached leg, well you tin astatine slightest person an elevator to instrumentality you [to the] subway station," helium said. "It's important ... it helps everyone."

Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, utilized arsenic an alternate to riding the subway, is simply a bully one, but helium says it still has its limitations. 

"You person to reserve astatine slightest 24 hours successful beforehand truthful that if you person an emergency, there's thing you tin bash astir it," Laperrière said.

Then you request to cognize your departure clip and your instrumentality clip which requires a batch of planning, and the work isn't ever connected time, helium added.

"What we're asking is for the implicit accessibility of the subway system," helium said.

While the transit bureau was aiming to marque 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it present says, is improbable to beryllium reached.

Despite the setback, Laperrière is inactive hopeful it tin go a reality.

RAPLIQ is awaiting a determination connected a 2017 class-action suit it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain.

The enactment argued that the deficiency of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory.

With hearings on the substance implicit since December 2023, a determination should beryllium forthcoming, says Laperrière.

"It's benignant of long, but astatine the extremity of the day, I conjecture everybody understands due to the fact that it's a immense decision," helium said. "It's going to beryllium historical, immoderate the determination is."

CBC News reached retired to Quebec's Transport Ministry for comment, but did not perceive backmost anterior to publication.