The recent closure of three metro stations on Montreal’s blue line, including those near Parc-Extension, should serve as a wake-up call for the Quebec government to invest more in public transit infrastructure. Last Thursday, Saint-Michel, D’Iberville, and Fabre stations were shut down indefinitely after a concrete beam at Saint-Michel station was found to be deteriorating. This disruption highlights the importance of maintaining vital transport services, especially for neighbourhoods like Parc-Extension, which rely heavily on public transit.
Éric-Alan Caldwell, president of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), emphasized that this closure underscores years of underinvestment in the metro system. Caldwell compared this situation to the Souvenir viaduct collapse in the early 2000s, stressing the need for a similar wake-up call for metro infrastructure.
Many residents in Parc-Extension, a densely populated area that depends on the blue line for daily commutes, have felt the impact of this unexpected disruption. As an important hub for new immigrants and lower-income families, the area is particularly vulnerable when transit services are affected. The STM acted quickly, introducing shuttle buses to alleviate the impact, but Caldwell cautioned that temporary fixes won’t be enough in the long run.
The closure also sparked criticism from Montreal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, and Quebec Solidaire leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, who urged the provincial government to step up its responsibility in maintaining transit infrastructure.
While Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault defended the government’s record on transit investments, Caldwell and others insist that more must be done to prevent future disruptions that could affect neighborhoods like Parc-Extension, which rely so heavily on the metro system for access to work, school, and essential services.
