Montreal bus rapid transit

There was one bus rapid transit route in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in operation. It operated from 1989 to 2002 on Pie-IX Boulevard, and after it ceased operating, became a regular reserved lane rush hour service using regular bus stops as the 505 Reserved Lane Pie-IX. It is projected to return to service in 2013. A second BRT line is planned for Henri Bourassa Boulevard, projected for service in 2018.

Pius IX BRT line

505 R-Bus BRT

Old BRT shelter on Boulevard Pie-IX at Bélanger.

The STCUM 505 R-BUS Pie-IX (Express Pie-IX), running along Boulevard Pie-IX (Pope Pius the Ninth), provided supplementary, limited-stop service to the 139 Pie-IX bus route during rush hours. It operated from 1989 to 2002, being the first reserved-lane bus service and first BRT service in Montreal. The system had 10 dedicated stations, and a regular stop and terminus at the Pie-IX metro station.^[1]

Prior to 2002, this route used to run against traffic on the part-time dedicated bus lanes on the opposite side of the traffic median. It featured dedicated sheltered BRT stations, a high frequency of service, and priority traffic signals. The use of these bus lanes were suspended indefinitely after a passenger, unaware of the traffic contraflow, was struck by a bus.^[2] In the interim, from the suspension of service, until it's planned resumption, alternate service occurs on the reserved-lane rush-hour bus 505 Reserved Lane Pie-IX. There were plans to restart the service once safety cones and fences are installed along Pie-IX Boulevard.^[1]

List of original 505 BRT stations

The stations were dismantled as of August 2010, to make way for the revised service system.^[3]

• Pie-IX Metro
• Laurier
• Rosemont
• Beaubien
• Belanger
• Jean Talon
• Jarry
• Robert
• 47e rue
• Fleury
• Monselet

2013 future service

Projected revised BRT service on Pie-IX, projected 2013

Service is project to be restored by 2013, with two dedicated lanes in the middle of the street and 24-hour service.^[2][4] The service will be transferred from the MUCTC, which operated the BRT line until its suspension in 2002, to the AMT. The rebuilt line was originally projected to cost $150million CDN.^[5] The new service will extend into Laval, and is projected to cost $300 million CDN, as of 2010.^[6] The portion in Laval will extend 5 km, and include parking lots. As the portion in Laval will operate on a grade separated expressway (the former trace of Autoroute 25, since moved to a new right-of-way further east) and have dedicated on-ramps and off-ramps.^[7] The system will extend from Autoroute 440 in Laval, all the way to Notre-Dame Street near the southern shore of Montreal Island against the Saint Lawrence River.^[3]

List of 2013 revised system BRT stations

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

As originally envisioned, the BRT route would extend from Henri Bourassa Boulevard to René Lévesque Boulevard.^[8]

At the issue of an early planning study made by Genivar/CIMA+ for the AMT,the planned line is to have the following stop.

• Montée Saint-François and 440 highway (Laval) (500 places parking)
• Saint-Martin (Laval) (500 places parking)
• de la Concorde (Laval)
• d'Amos
• Castille
• Fleury / Forest
• 56e Rue / Gare Montréal-Nord — intermodal station with suburban train line Train de l'Est
• 47e Rue
• 39e Rue
• Robert
• Jarry
• Jean-Talon — intermodal station with projected future Line 5 Blue Montreal Metro station
• Belanger
• Beaubien
• Rosemont
• Laurier
• Mont Royal
• Métro Pie-IX
• Ontario
• Sainte Catherine
• Notre-Dame

Replacement with LRT

There are ideas to replace the BRT with a true LRT tramline on the street using the shared right-of-way. A Montreal Metro line was also once planned to run underneath Pie-IX Boulevard, but this never came to fruition. At one time, a tram line ran on Pius-IX, prior to the establishment of regular bus service along the thoroughfare.

Henri Bourassa BRT line

There is a planned BRT line along Henri Bourassa Boulevard, running for 5 km, projected for operation in 2018. It would create two dedicated reserved lanes in the middle of the street, and operate 24 hours a day. The plan is projected to cost $25 million CDN as of 2010.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Fagstein, Montreal Geography Trivia No. 75, Steve Faguy, April 26, 2010 – 12:00 pm
2. ^ ^{a b} CTV Montreal, "Reserved bus lane coming to Pie-IX Boulevard", Thu Dec. 17 2009 7:07:00 PM
3. ^ ^{a b} (French) Metro (Montreal), "Disparition des derniers vestiges de la voie réservée sur Pie-IX", Jennifer Guthrie, 03 août 2010 21:49
4. ^ (French) Montreal 2025, VOIE RÉSERVÉE SUR PIE-IX - MONTRÉAL LANCE LES TRAVAUX AU CARREFOUR HENRI-BOURASSA / PIE-IX , 11.02.10
5. ^ (French) La Presse (Montreal), "Voie réservée sur Pie-IX: 154 millions pour faire rouler les autobus", Bruno Bisson, 23 octobre 2009 à 06h43
6. ^ (French) 24H (Montreal), "Le Service rapide par bus du boulevard Pie-IX coûterait 305 M $", QMI, 18/09/2010 10h42
7. ^ The Gazette (Montreal), "Reserved bus lanes from Laval to Montreal to cost $305M", René Bruemmer, Monday, September 20, 2010
8. ^ ^{a b} McGill University, "Bus Rapid Transit: Montreal's Plan", Julie Bachand & Julie Lafrance, 2010

External links

• STM 505 R-BUS Pie-IX route map and stop listing
• Innovative Service Design Among Bus Rapid Transit Systems In The Americas (PDF)
• STM System Map
• 505 Map
• 505 Schedule

See also

• Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
• Ottawa Transitway