I
have been visiting the city of Montreal regularly over
the last year, and like other travelers from Toronto, I
find it natural to compare that city’s transit
experience to ours. The Société de transport de Montréal
(STM) is similar to the TTC in many ways, but there are
some interesting differences – things I wish Toronto
would adopt, and others worth avoiding.
First, the similarities. The Montreal City Passenger
Railway Company which created in 1861, the same year
regular streetcar service began in Toronto.
Interestingly, when the first electric tram arrived to
replace horse-drawn vehicles on Montreal streets in
1892, it was known as "the Rocket”. It may have been
galling to Montreal, which considered itself the
country’s premier metropolis, that Toronto, the upstart
capital of the former province of Upper Canada, also ran
its first electric streetcar the same year. In 1959, the
“tramway” ceased to operate on the streets of Quebec’s
largest city.
Although Toronto the Good had opened its subway in
1954, by late 1966 Montreal inaugurated its own
underground rail network. The “Metro” allowed the city
to remain the cosmopolitan centre of Canada, and to
successfully host the world’s fair “Expo 67”, shuttling
tourists about on its unique rubber-tired subway. This
technology apparently makes it easier for trains to
climb inclines, accelerate as well as brake more
efficiently, and reduces the noise and vibrations that
are transmitted to riders and neighbouring buildings.
It’s still a bit bumpy, if you ask me.
One
of the “frequently asked questions” on the transit
system’s web site www.stm.info is “Why can you sometimes
smell peanuts in the metro?” Apparently, brake shoes on
the subway cars are made of cherry wood and coated with
peanut oil, which produces a particular odour and
supposedly smooths the ride for passengers. Personally,
both the distinctive smell and sound of the Montreal
trains evoke clearly their counterparts in Paris.
Montreal's four metro lines, which were built entirely
underground to avoid the city’s winter weather,
currently have 65 stations -– once again almost exactly
the number of stops on Toronto’s subway. Those familiar
with both systems often tell me that while the TTC’s
rail network is spread out, in Montreal there always
seems to be a metro stop just where you need to go.
As
for buses, anecdotal experience is often the opposite,
as even Montrealers tell me they like the TTC’s surface
network –- where the routes are more dense and
understandable and the vehicles seem to run more
frequently. Off peak, many Montreal buses do seem to
come less often than equivalent routes in Toronto –-
even those that run relatively close to downtown
Montreal. Only 15 minutes from the city’s centre, my
preferred bus often ran half-hourly. Rush hour was fine,
however. Still, the STM moved 363 million riders in
2002, while the TTC carried over 415 million riders the
same year.
One
secret to the success of the Montreal system may be the
price. While the cash fare is $2.50 -- 25 cents higher
than in Toronto -– almost no-one pays cash. That’s
because a monthly pass is just $59, compared to almost a
hundred dollars for a TTC Metropass. Government
subsidies account for a larger portion of the fare in
Montreal –- and you can even buy a weekly pass, for a
mere $18. One drawback – it’s very hard to buy passes or
tickets anywhere but a metro station, so the line-ups
every Monday morning can be lengthy.
Montreal has one more treat for any Torontonian who has
ever felt the urge to do a little shopping while
transferring from the streetcar to the subway. The TTC
policy on transfers strictly prohibits “stopovers”. Not
only are the Montreal equivalents good for two hours,
but the truly creative could wander around the city for
half a day.
Send e-mail to
transit@eddrass.com.
Include address and phone number.