The metro’s MR-73 trains keep getting older
Video from Radio-Canada on the difficulty and expense of extending the useful life of the metro’s MR‑73 trains, the second oldest running subway stock in the world.
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Kate
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anton 11:33 on 2025-01-24 Permalink
Not to dismiss the trouble of keeping old trains running, but second oldest subway rolling stock?
I mean even if we just look at rubber-tyred metro systems. Of the four other rubber tyred metro systems besides Montreal that existed back in 1976 when the MR-73 came into service (Paris, Santiago, Mexico City, Sapporo), all but Santiago are still running older trains. It seems Mexico City is even running two older generations. I think if you look at steel-tyred metros, there’s probably tens if not hundreds with older trains.
Kate 18:25 on 2025-01-24 Permalink
I thought I might have misunderstood what the voice-over was saying about the age of the trains, but I watched again and it couldn’t be clearer.
CE 11:58 on 2025-01-25 Permalink
When the MR-63s were still in operation, I was told (by someone who would know) that they were the oldest rolling stock in the world. He said that they had been the second oldest for a while, but Pyongyang bought some old Soviet trains from Russia and the MR-63s became the oldest. The last one was retired after 52 years of service, which is impressive. I can imagine the same thing being the case with the newer MR-73s which went into service in 1976. Our entirely interior metro system probably contributes to our trains’ longevity.
CE 12:08 on 2025-01-25 Permalink
I watched the video after writing the above comment and interestingly, the “someone who would know” was one of the people interviewed in report!
Kate 14:51 on 2025-01-25 Permalink
He would know! Thanks, CE.
anton 10:53 on 2025-01-26 Permalink
Even the MR63 that started operation in 1966 weren’t the oldest trains in the world, when they retired in 2018. For example, the rubber-tyred MP59 in Paris, which the MR63 were based on, were older and ran until 2024 [1]. New York also had trains that were older and ran longer [2]. Berlin is still running trains from 1964 [3]. There were also London underground trains from 1938 that ran until 2021 on the Isle of Wright [5].
I just checked 4 cities (Paris, NYC, London, Berlin), and they all had older rolling stock than the MR63.
Pyongyang didn’t buy old Soviet trains, but old trains from Berlin (built 1956-1965, older than MR63). Apparently some of those were later rebuilt in China, but its not clear [4], because the North Koreans claim they build them new in North Korea. I guess these are also older than the MR63.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP_59
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R32_(New_York_City_Subway_car)
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BVG_Class_A3
[4] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Pj%C3%B6ngjang#Fahrzeugpark
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_483
(PS: in my first message it should’ve been “all but Sapporo are still running older trains”)
CE 11:44 on 2025-01-26 Permalink
Please disregard everything said in my previous posts. It would seem that everything I said was incorrect! haha, oh well.
Kate 20:48 on 2025-01-26 Permalink
anton: thank you for your excellently referenced notes.
CE: No reason to be embarrassed. The person who spoke to you could take a lesson from anton!
CE 22:16 on 2025-01-26 Permalink
It was a very long time ago and things likely got mixed up in my head or there were variables I wasn’t remembering. I should have done a quick Google search.