The Quebec government is facing calls to boost its funding for public transportation following the sudden closure of three Montreal subway stations on Thursday night for emergency repairs on a deteriorated beam.
Montreal’s public transit authority has announced that the Fabre, d’Iberville, and Saint-Michel stations will remain closed for several days or weeks to address the issue with the beam located above a pedestrian walkway.
Société de transport de Montréal CEO Marie-Claude Léonard has stated that the problem is isolated to the St-Michel station, but the other two stations had to be shut down as well due to the lack of infrastructure to redirect the trains.
Both Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and the transit authority have criticized the provincial government, specifically Premier François Legault’s administration, for not allocating sufficient funds to maintain the aging transit system.
Éric Alan Caldwell, a Montreal city councillor and chairman of the transit agency’s board of directors, highlighted that the province is only investing around $300 million this year for subway maintenance, falling short of the $500 million to $550 million required annually.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, who canceled a planned transport announcement in Montreal, mentioned that the province is collaborating with local authorities and the transit agency to address the situation.
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