Contracts awarded for blue line stations
Contracts have been awarded for designing the Viau and Lacordaire stations on the blue line extension. This fills out the story from two months ago about contracts for Pie-IX, Langelier and Anjou.
In other metro news, work is set to begin next month on elevators at McGill station.
EmilyG 21:15 on 2020-01-20 Permalink
I wish that before, or in addition to, starting these new projects, they’d put in the effort to make sure all the escalators are working all the time.
Filp 03:53 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
*definitely in addition to
If we waited for all escalators to be functional all the time, nothing would ever happen again, because there will never be a point where escalators are always working. Especially transit ones, which experience insane amounts of abuse. Besides, escalators are not *essential*, in the way elevators are. If a station were to have stairs and an elevator, people with mobility issues use the elevator and the rest the stairs. With escalators and stairs, sure it’s an easier ride up for most, but no one with wheelchairs or strollers can access the station.
Ian 09:13 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Hahahaha escalators aren’t essential, we can see who takes transit with kids here…
Yeah I have carried a stroller all the way up the Lucien L’allier, Atwater, Guy-Concordia, Square-Victoria, Laurier, Vendôme, Villa-Maria (etc) stairs with a kid and bags MANY times – I only got a car after both of my kids were stroller age – if anyone with a stroller has to rely on escalators or an elevator (if there is one) in our broken down stations they are in for an unpleasant surprise, even if they are just trying to get to a hospital.
I’m with EmilyG here, there’s no reason for escalators to be out of service for months at a time as they so often are. That’s an STM problem, not an escalator problem. That said, if they can’t keep escalators running consistently, what makes you think they can keep elevators running? The fact is they don’t.
SMD 10:37 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
The lesson to learn is to not source all your escalator parts from the only small company that makes them. The blue line escalators relied on crucial parts that were only produced in the late 80s by one company, in France if I remember correctly, which went bankrupt a few years ago. The STM tried to machine the parts themselves, then went to tender to find replacements. These ended up being defective, after being delivered late. So… don’t put all your escalator parts in one basket.
Filp 10:57 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Ian, I think you missed my point entirely. If any of those stations had an elevator, you would take that. Regardless of the status of the escalators. They are not essential what so ever. Elevators are. Regarding elevator down time, I’ve taken my elevator at Cartier basically every day and it has much less down time than the escalator. But regardless, they’re just not related what so ever. I would much rather have every station have an elevator than escalators, it’s not even close in priority imo. We cannot delay elevator installation because you feel we should prioritize escalator repair, when there are people who can’t take the metro at all because there are no elevators.
Ian 11:05 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
I think you missed my point – if they can’t even keep existing escalators running, what makes you think they are capable of installing and maintaining elevators in every station?
Frankly they can’t even keep the metro running for a full month without a breakdown, THAT is the core service. Elevators in every station may as well be dreaming in technicolour.
Michael Black 11:26 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Escalators are constantly on, and generally no lineup.
Elevators move when they are needed. And generally people wait for them.
I suspect if we depended on elevators in the metro, they’d be breaking down a lot. Even now, I get the impression that some using elevators aren’t doing it for “need” (ie they have a wheelchair or stroller, or something heavy/big or some other necessity) but for novelty or because they like elevators rather than escalators. An impression.
Filp 11:27 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Well, I take the stm elevators currently, and they’re much more reliable than the escalators are, which take an absolute beating. Your low expectations of the stm’s ability to maintain elevators is not a valid justification for delaying accessibility upgrades. I’m sure people in wheelchairs would just like to be able to take the metro already, and people with strollers and luggage would rather not lug them down the stairs. Also, if you’re under the impression that the metro is particularly bad when it comes to downtime, it’s really not. Elevators in every station is not dreaming, it should be done *already*. There are many in the process already. Some stations won’t be possible due to a lack of foresight, but whenever possible they will be installed.
Filp 11:32 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Im sure if we did rely on elevators, that would be a problem. But as long as there are stairs and the elevator wait is more than a minute, most people will just take the stairs. The idea that more elevators would magically mean more breakdowns is a weird assesment of the situation. I see it as improved accessibility. You can say more busses means more possibilities to break down too, but honestly it’s a bit ridiculous
Kate 11:40 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
On the issue of people appearing to take the elevators for “frivolous” reasons: you can’t necessarily know why someone would prefer the elevator. Last year I had ankle trouble for a few months and it was always less painful to take the metro elevator, if there was one. I didn’t limp or use a cane – there was no way an observer could have known. And many people have more serious invisible disabilities than a sore ankle.
Ian 11:56 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Take it as you will, Flip – I’m going on the STM’s track record, not some kind of probability algorithm. Their maintenance record is pretty lousy, and EmilyG made a very good point despite your dismissive woolgathering about what new elevators might solve based on your experience at one station.
EmilyG 12:05 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Not all stations have elevators, and therefore the choice to take the elevator.
Most stations have escalators. There are also many people who have health problems who find it difficult to climb up stairs, especially lots of stairs.
It’s really frustrating when you try to exit a metro station, and the escalators aren’t working, or only one is working and it’s in the going-down direction. If you’re disabled, have health problems, or even if you’re just tired or in a rush, you’re not going to like hauling yourself up all those stairs.
As for elevator use, I suspect some people at Cote-Vertu metro (maybe other stations too) use the elevator to get to the station exit more quickly, as that station gets crowded easily and wasn’t designed to handle such large numbers of people. (I’m not judging, just saying this is one of many reasons people might use the elevator.)
Michael Black 12:14 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Well I said “impression”. But I’m still pretty immobile, and do have a cane (people actually do react to it, so long as I don’t forget it somewhere) but I’m using escalators.
My impression comes from the elevator at Alexis Nihon Plaza, families waiting for it. I think they’d be fine if that elevator wasn’t there.
But yes, it’s hard to judge. Elevators in such places are a new thing, so some of this is colored by me thinking some like the novelty.
I am reminded of the time in grade 7 when I visited Weredale w ith someone from school who lived there. There as an elevator, but I guess was slow going in and was caught by the doors. Some other kid threatened me with a beating if I did that again. Apparently it had been out of service for some time, and the kids at least didn’t want it back out of operation.
There are no restrictions on the elevators in the Metro, but if there was a shift to greater useage by people who could use the escalators, then it would strain those elevators.
Flip 14:30 on 2020-01-21 Permalink
Ian, I’m not sure what’s so theoretical about the benefits of elevators. If you’ve ever had to bring a stroller, a luggage or more importantly, someone in a wheelchair, down into the metro, you’d know that an elevator is the obvious solution. I saw an article recently about a guy who is handicapped that can haul himself with his wheelchair up the metro stairs and escalators. That works for someone as young and agile as him. A 60 year old? Not so much.
JaneyB 00:24 on 2020-01-22 Permalink
Given the exceptional depth of our stations, something has to be done to make the escalators always functional. I think Lucien L’Allier is 10 stories deep. I cannot understand a multi-month repair job. They are not smelting iron ore on site and designing new parts from scratch. The stroller issue alone is just an impossible problem if the escalators don’t work. It’s not like Toronto where you’re carrying up or down one flight. Wheelchairs, the elderly, crutches, luggage etc. are completely sidelined. Elevators are nice but they are still too few.
Dhomas 08:36 on 2020-01-22 Permalink
It’s not an either or situation here, folks. The metro should have both escalators AND elevators. The advantage of escalators is that when they break down, they are still usable (as stairs). But elevators are essential to get those with mobility issues into public transit.
Ian 08:52 on 2020-01-22 Permalink
I never said it was either/or, I said that given that they can’t keep escalators running I don’t see how they intend to keep elevators running – let alone put one in every station, as some here are advocating for.
That’s not a cynical statement given the very reasonable observation that so many escalators seem to be out of service for months at a time, even at deep stations.
Dhomas 09:45 on 2020-01-22 Permalink
I would say the STM needs to put in elevators (yes, in every station) AND improve their maintenance record. That said, I’ve only ever seen one elevator not working (at Bonaventure) and it was repaired in a matter of days, not months.