Société de transport de Montréal (STM) no longer intends to install screen door platforms on metro platforms in the foreseeable future, Mayor Valérie Plante confirmed on Tuesday.
This project, intended to protect customers on metro platforms, was conceived on the orange line in 2018 and became the subject of a funding agreement in Quebec in 2019. It was put back to the forefront last week after a woman was pushed on the subway tracks in Toronto.
However, every day The Gazette found that landing doors no longer appear in the capital program of STM by 2031.
According to some stakeholders, the installation of screen doors at network metro stations will prevent this type of event, in addition to helping to reduce metro delays due to objects falling on the rails.
Some metro networks in major cities around the world, such as Paris, London and Tokyo, have such protection. The 26 Metropolitan Express Network (REM) stations will also have screen door platforms.
On Tuesday, Mayor Valérie Plante explained to the City Council that the priority of STM during the dragging of the pandemic is the maintenance of service, among other things to ensure the movement of vital workers.
It was a choice we made, [un choix] considered a human choice, sensitive to the socio-economic realities of public transport users to get aroundsaid Valérie Plante.
” It’s not a project that falls apart, it’s a project that resists over time. For us, ensuring the safety of citizens on a daily basis, but also in the face of COVID-19, is a responsible choice. “
Philippe Déry, spokesman for STMexplained in The Gazette na the difficult financial context associated with the pandemic forced STM to reduce its debt and that the network has chosen that reduce spending by more than $ 2 billion over the next 10 years.
Ang STM confirms that the 200 million dollars planned by Quebec for the installation of platform gates at 13 stations of the Montreal network will be allocated to another public transportation project in Montreal. It is estimated that the installation of screen doors will cost approximately $ 12-15 million per station.
Source: Radio-Canada
