New Metro
This morning I took the metro on the Blue line… And I got to see the new wagon decor! The seats are not orange/beige anymore but blue! And I don’t know if it was my imagination but the seats also seemed wider… The arrangement of the seats has remained almost the same except that now it’s seat-seat aisle seat instead of seat-seat-aisle-seat-seat. And they’ve added different holding poles. So less sitting space, more standing space. The colour of the wall also changed from the bright orange to a less bright orange, with some tiny colour dots. It looks a bit more modern. But still… I wonder…. Why not just change the wagons all together? They are getting old! And they will most likely have to be changed soon… So why just change the interior? Seems like a waste of money…?
Here’s a pic:
UPDATE: The STM has a PDF file on it’s website with information about the new decor… To answer Monkey’s comment below, it was not the prototype itself no… I remember seeing different prototype wagons (A, B, and C) and these were simply the same interior decor with a different seat arrangement. But the one I saw was more! They say this one is a finished model of the prototype C + improvements from the STM = new model of the interior. In that document there is also a clearer/bigger picture of the interior and more information on the changes. And they also hint at Metro stations being accessible for wheelchair access in the future! Finally!
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More standing room for when all those suburbanites from Laval start using, once the stations open up. The trains work fine, it’s the electrical system that needs a lot of work (From what I hear)
i think that the wagon you photographed was one of the prototypes. The STM has made 3 different prototypes and the one you saw is the one that they’ll keep.
If i’m correct, they are currently making completely new wagons, as you were suggesting, and they’re supposed to be appearing at a steady pace on the Orange line first in the next months, then they’ll probably replace the wagons on the Green line.
Nope, new trains are coming, but not for a few years. The makeover of the orange/blue/yellow line interiors are part of a late to mid life renovation. The cars were built for at least a forty year lifespan: this will make sure they’re capable of surviving until the new ones show up.
These are at least a few years away though. The STM has yet to award a contract to a supplier, although Bombardier is hoping to keep some Québec factories busy in the next few years with building all new trains.
And yes, Christelle, the seats are wider: they’re similar to the ones in the older (but more recently refurbed) green line cars.
*j*
Something else similar to old-design wagons: the newspapers on the floor…
Blue and orange … the designer needs to be shot or told to get the hell out of the 70s.
Shouldn’t there be more focus on the green line instead of the blue or orange lines? The green line is the one with the most ancient trains (with the grills at the end doors instead of glass windows) and it’s also the one that most often has slowdowns due to mechanical problems. Let’s say that I’m glad I now only have to travel daily from Cadillac to Honoré-Beaugrand instead of from Vendôme to Honoré-Beaugrand…