Montreal's Metro System

December 2, 2005 - Despite having been to Montreal on numerous occasions, I have never really felt too much for the city. I guess the reason for that is I have never truly experienced first hand, for all my visits have either been in a tour bus (those "Canada-East" bus tours) or with my parents in a car. It's unfortunate because I have just recently discovered how architecturally stunning the city really is and now I'm dying to visit the city - preferably on foot and on the local transit system. Well better late than never I guess.

So I did a little research on Montreal's Metro (subway) system and to my (somewhat) surprise, the city has one of the most architecturally distinctive underground transit systems in North America. Unlike the TTC, each subway station in Montreal is unique, beautifully decorated with sculptures, stained glass, and other public art. As our commutes become longer than ever, having an aesthetically beautiful transit system, such as Montreal's can make long rides more appealing and more relaxing.

Every building, subway entrance, and platform in Montreal's metro system were designed to be a piece of art. Check out the transfer escalator at Lionel-Groulx Station (see right) - it was specifically designed to create a sense of openness, while at the same time functional - passengers can transfer between different lines simply by walking across the platform (no more going up and down the stairs, like at St. George and at Bloor-Yonge). Pretty cool huh?



The newer stations also make good use of their local environment. For example, Angrignon Station (see below) is located in a park. To make the presence of the park felt throughout the station, architects put big windows throughout the length of the platform and created a grassy slope with small trees alongside the platform. The slope brings the park to transit riders at the platform, and also brightens the station.

There are many other cool pieces of art that can be found in the city's Metro system - I can go on forever here, but I figured the best way to really talk about the Metro system is after I've seen it (which hopefully will be soon!). In the mean time check out this site: http://www.metrodemontreal.com/index-e.html