Five metro factoids of the day
Here are five facts about the Montreal metro which are perhaps not quite as unknown as all that. The start of the initial excavations in 1963 at Jarry were saluted last year with a ceremony to unveil a memorial plaque just inside the station building.
Simon 10:54 on 2020-02-07 Permalink
We can see the spot of the first picture here
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.5433272,-73.6287968,3a,35.5y,188.05h,90.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5EPlt-Xm4tWLIJqm5edWag!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Raymond Lutz 11:20 on 2020-02-07 Permalink
Fun fact #6: “Afin d’aider à combler le déficit accumulé par la construction du métro et l’Exposition universelle de 1967, le maire de Montréal, Jean Drapeau , instaure une taxe volontaire. Elle se présente sous la forme d’une loterie qui offre des prix d’une valeur de 150 000 $ remis en lingots d’argent.” ( source)
Fun fact #7: “During the Soviet period, planners required a city’s population to top 1 million before work would begin on a subway. Tashkent’s population reached the milestone in the early 1960s” “It was the seventh metro to be built in the former USSR, opening in 1977” (source: The Gorgeous Metro Stations of Uzbekistan and Wikipedia)
Damned commies! Note: gulag forced labour stopped in the ’50
Kate 12:38 on 2020-02-07 Permalink
Right, Raymond Lutz. Drapeau ran the “voluntary tax” drawing a few times and it was a big success, then Quebec said no no no, that’s illegal, you have to stop. Then Quebec turned around, launched Loto-Quebec, and have been cleaning up ever since.
Daniel 17:35 on 2020-02-07 Permalink
Point 5: Could it be argued the REM is in fact the long awaited Line 3?
Kate 23:01 on 2020-02-07 Permalink
The REM is certainly doing what Line 3 was supposed to do, using the tunnel. The rest of the REM’s route doesn’t have much to do with it, I don’t think.
ant6n 21:16 on 2020-02-08 Permalink
CDPQInfra has argued or at least implied that the REM is the line 3, even posting an image where they inserted the REM on a historical picture of Drapeau pointing at a map of line 3. There are some similarities, but its a bit of a stretch, and the whole PR bit is oddly self-congratulatory.