Montreal’s Metro network will be paying tribute to its flagship MR-63 trains by running the very last train on each of the four lines between June 18 and 21.
The MR-63 trains spent the last 52 years on the Metro tracks, travelling more than four million kilometres each.
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In 2017, the rolling stock was among the oldest still in use on any subway system in the world. The entire Metro fleet ran on rubber tires and concrete rollways, which was uncommon among the traditional steel-on-steel networks of the time.
This system reduced vibrations and offered better manoeuvrability, acceleration, and braking. These aspects of the network live on with the second and third generation Metro cars, the MR-73 trains introduced in 1976 and MPM-10 trains introduced in 2015.
Montreal’s transit corporation (STM) began retiring the MR-63 trains in 2016 with the introduction of the MPM-10, known as Azur.
To date, 268 MR-63s have been retired.
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While many were dismantled, some were able to leave the tunnels and breathe in new life through the STM’s sustainable reclamation plan. Selected projects worked with the retired Metro cars to build creative spaces and new Montreal icons.
La Station F-MR is one of those. The pilot project on the Lachine Canal offers visitors a café, a concert space, an art gallery, and a chance to hang out in four MR-63 cars. While the location is temporary, a permanent and larger complex will open in Griffintown with eight Metro cars in 2020.
While walking through the cars outside is an experience of its own, your last chance to experience the train in metro tunnels is quickly approaching.
The very last MR-63 train will circulate each of the lines during morning and afternoon rush hour on the following days: