Thirteen years after the announcement of the project, the Pie-IX Bus Rapid Service (SRB) will gradually come into service as of November 7, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced on Tuesday.
The new bus service will connect boulevard Saint-Martin, in Laval, to avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin, in Montreal. Two portions will not be accessible due to work sites, namely that of the Jean-Talon sector where a pedestrian tunnel is still under construction and that of the Pie-IX bridge, whose repairs will continue until 2023. Buses will have to take detours in these two sectors.
Line 439 Express Pie-IX will become the main line and the bus shelters will be located in the center of the tracks. This line will have three separate routes depending on the chosen destination: Lacordaire / Henri-Bourassa, Carrefour Henri-Bourassa / Pie-IX and Laval. “The destination will be well indicated when you get on the bus,” says Justine Lord-Dufour, spokesperson for the STM. As the buses will travel on reserved lanes, they will not be slowed down by automobile traffic.
As for line 139 Pie-IX, its schedule will be adjusted downwards since it will be mainly intended for local trips. Its stops will be located at the curb. Starting in 2023, exo and Société de transport de Laval (STM) buses will be running in the SRB Pie-IX corridor.
Ultimately, the Pie-IX SRB, which will serve Laval and cross four Montreal boroughs, will include 38 shelters that will be accessible to people with functional limitations. Pedestrian lights with digital countdown will allow users to get there safely, says the STM.
Announced in December 2009 under the administration of Mayor Gérald Tremblay, the SRB Pie-IX was originally scheduled to be commissioned in 2013. The project, however, suffered several delays. Over the years, different electrification scenarios have been studied, including the use of trolleybuses, but this option was finally ruled out due to its costs being deemed too high and the impact of poles and overhead wires in the landscape. urban. Work finally began in 2019.