The fleet of new-generation Azur trains on Montreal's metro will grow even larger.
City Council has approved a second order for 17 more of the new metro trains from Bombardier, at a cost of just under half a billion dollars. The order will be conditional upon the city receiving funding for the order from the federal government's infrastructure fund.
The province pressured the city to order more of the trains, which first began running in early 2016, in a bid to save some 300 jobs at Bombardier's plant in La Pocatière.
Those jobs had been threatened by the conclusion of Bombardier's intial order of Azur trains, as well as the company's failure to win the bid to construct the trains for the forthcoming Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) network.
Since late last year, the orange line has been serviced entirely by Azur trains, with a few running on the green line as well; all of the new Azur trains in the new order are expected to go into service on the green line, which will be served by a fleet made up of 90% Azur trains.