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Updates from January, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• Kate 18:15 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  The STM has squeezed the required $100M out of its yearly budget in three years rather than five, but at the cost of reduced services, and a delay in equipping the whole system with electrified buses.

  The numbers are striking: from 375 million trips taken in 2019 the STM is down to a forecast 314 million this year. Maintenance is also being neglected, and there isn’t even any mention of adding more elevators to stations, or the much desired platform doors. The budget also involves 300 layoffs.

  (Have we not learned by now that neglecting maintenance is just kicking the can down the road, and when the condition of the installations becomes a crisis it will cost so much more because of the urgency?)

   

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• Kate 12:54 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  The first REM test train has been run on the airport line expected to open in spring 2027.

  Ian, Kate, Anton, and 4 others are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • thomas 14:29 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    Why is the VSL station called Marie-Curie when her official name was Skłodowska-Curie?

  • Nicholas 15:12 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    Actually if you follow Quebec naming law it should just be Skłodowska.

  • Joey 15:17 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    Good call, thomas. Wikipedia says she “used both surnames” and also publishes a helpful image of her signature, which includes both. Given how common multiple surnames are in Quebec, you’d think this would have been an easy call. ChatGPT says the toponymy commission does not prohibit multiple surnames (e.g., Édifice Marie-Claire-Kirkland-Casgrain) but the STM will often shorten names for clarity’s sake or to save space on maps, etc. Hence the reason why we don’t have a Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa station.

  • Ian 17:43 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    Nicholas in Quebec a French name trumps marriage conventions.

    Let’s be real, there is one main reason it’s named Marie-Curie.

  • Anton 13:58 on 2026-01-10 Permalink

    The phrasing “ a long-promised link that transit planners say will improve access for both residents and travellers” makes me wonder how many people live at the airport.

  • Kate 16:24 on 2026-01-10 Permalink

    I supposed that it meant access for locals going to the airport to catch a plane or to meet people arriving. Not that it meant anyone lives there.

  • Ian 23:41 on 2026-01-10 Permalink

    The Dorval circle is a major connection between the west island local transit lines and downtown but I can’t imagine this will make much difference in that regard unless I’m missing somethign about planned shuttles.

    Did we ever hear anything more about the shuttle bus lines in the WI and how they may or may not replace STM lines?

• Kate 11:37 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  Luc Rabouin, who lost his job as Plateau mayor when he aimed for the bigger chair in November, has become president and CEO of the Foundation of Greater Montreal, which coordinates philanthropic efforts and benevolent funds.

  Joey is discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Joey 15:18 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    This seems like a good role for Luc.

• Kate 10:37 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  Oh here we go. The Martinez Ferrada administration has decided that the existing reports on bike path usage aren’t sufficient, so it’s going to carry out its own audit. One of the main issues that carried Ensemble into power, bike paths will have their day of judgement.

  Here’s a thought. Wait for a big blizzard. Then count how many cyclists are using the paths. When the number turns up pretty low, make the case that there isn’t sufficient demand, and proceed to abolish it.

  Joey and mare are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • mare 14:28 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    There are counters in various places and you can see them here with historical numbers and weather conditions. http://rev.samvermette.com/
    The numbers were pretty low during the past week, because many boroughs (looking at you Plateau) didn’t clean nor salt the bike paths very well, so after the freezing rain there were large plaques of ice with lots of ridges under a layer of snow which made cycling a bit of an adventure, even with studded tires.

  • Joey 15:25 on 2026-01-09 Permalink

    The city is claiming that the issue isn’t bike path *usage* but *security*, and is feigning surprise and disappointment that there do not exist comprehensive security audits of every bike lane in the city. Instead, the city has extensively document cases where bike lanes aren’t safe for cyclists, e.g., because cars tend to park in the bike lane, not the mayor’s bullshit posting about road-sharing on Chabanel or wherever.

    Anyway, the mayor isn’t actually promising to carry out an audit: “Nous allons nous pencher sur la sécurité du réseau et des cyclistes, tel que promis.” I think Le Devoir is incorrectly and purposely implying that the mayor has changed her mind and that a big review/audit is coming. Nothing in the article suggests they’ve put a moment’s thought into any of this since she flip-flopped right after the election. In fact, this is only a. story because a citizen-cyclist did an access-to-information request and was provided the documents that the city had prepared on this file. As the Velo-Quebec DG says at the end, the budget is due next week and we’ll see if the $30M spent on bike infrastructure last year goes up or down.

• Kate 10:33 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  

  Weekend notes from La Presse, CTV, CultMTL, Le Devoir.

  Winter art calendar from CultMTL.

  It’s going to be a balmy weekend but Friday is likely to be windy.

   

• Kate 10:26 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  Place Ville-Marie tower was evacuated Thursday evening after a fire broke out in a ventilation shaft. It was easily put out and no one got hurt.

   

• Kate 10:24 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  CTV examines a case of office spaces being converted into apartments as commercial vacancy rates remain relatively high.

   

• Kate 10:18 on 2026-01-09 Permalink | Reply  

  Notre-Dame hospital is deploying metal detectors to check everyone coming into their emergency room.

  Tangentially relevant, Fady Dagher’s response to his squad’s actions around the knife‑wielding individual near UQÀM on Thursday, and his thoughts on the growing presence of mentally disturbed people downtown.