The SRB Pie-IX “gradually” put into service from November 7

The Pie-IX SRB will be “gradually” put into service starting November 7, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced on Tuesday. This 11-kilometre corridor of reserved bus lanes, with 17 stations, has been under construction since 2019.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“This new rapid bus service will thus operate from boulevard Saint-Martin in Laval to avenue Pierre-De Coubertin,” the transport company said in a press release.

Two exceptions remain, however: the Jean-Talon sector, where the construction of the pedestrian tunnel linking the future blue line station is continuing, will not be operational immediately, as will that of the Pie-IX bridge, whose repairs will be completed in 2023. The construction of the pedestrian tunnel will lead to the complete closure of the intersection of boulevard Pie-IX and rue Jean-Talon Est this fall.

Eventually, the SRB Pie-IX must serve the east of Laval by crossing four Montreal boroughs. Connections are planned with the green metro line, at the Pie-IX station, as well as with the Société de transport de Laval (STL) service and the exo5 — Mascouche commuter train line.

Important fact: the STM affirms that it “will adjust the service offer of the SRB according to the resumption of post-pandemic ridership”. As of Tuesday, the Montreal bus network received 69% of its pre-COVID ridership; in the metro, it was 67%. This is essentially the same level as the last few weeks. In total, “there are nearly 885,000 trips per average working day, compared to 1,290,000 on the same date before the pandemic,” explains spokesperson Justine Lord-Dufour.

Paratransit, on the other hand, “welcomes 66% of the number of passengers expected in an equivalent period without COVID”, she adds, a figure which also remains fairly stable. Nearly 7,400 passengers are moved each weekday.

A “transitional offer”

In general, the frequency of buses using the SRB will also depend on the construction sites in progress, including those in the Jean-Talon sector, but also the work under the responsibility of the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) at the Pie-IX and de la Concorde bridges. .

A “transitional offer” will be in effect until then. Line 439 Express Pie-IX will become the main line in the SRB corridor “and its shelters will be located in the center of the tracks”, indicates the STM. The frequency of buses will also be increased for this route in three sectors: Lacordaire/Henri-Bourassa, Carrefour Henri-Bourassa/Pie-IX and Laval.

The timetable for line 139 Pie-IX will be “adjusted downwards”, as this line will become more useful for “local trips” or shorter journeys, with stops at the curb. As for the night line, 355 Pie-IX, its frequency will remain unchanged.

No changes are planned for lines operated by exo or the STL either. However, exo lines 25 and 25B will have to wait until early 2023 before being able to use the SRB corridor.