The STM has big and costly plans to improve service, promising to put clients first in their long term strategy.
The public transit authority is investing $8 billion for maintenance and projects for 2017-2025, most of it coming from the federal government's infrastructure funding program. That's double the previous budget for long range planning.
The STM said that'll mean more Azur metros and more buses on the road so less waiting for commuters and more jobs created.
The STM added that the plan is counting on projects such as the planned metro blue line extension which is not included in this budget. The STM said it would be managing the construction of such an extension, such as the tenders process.
Among the projects that are included in the 2017-2025 plan:
• the long-awaited iBus real-time schedules at bus stops that are expected to be in place by the end of year
• buying 1230 air-conditioned hybrid buses
• purchasing only electric buses as of 2025 and having an electric-only fleet as of 2040
• more bus service in Lachine and Rivière-des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles
#STM board chairman @schnobb on their ambitious $8B plans for 2017-2025. #CJAD pic.twitter.com/GCohW86rCu
— Shuyee Lee (@sleeCJAD) August 29, 2017
The official opposition at Montreal city hall Projet Montreal criticizes the plan, saying the goals are not attainable and that objectives set in the old plan were not even reached.
The STM said they had to revise the plan because the Quebec government required it and projects such as the proposed light rail system will mean revising public transit in general.