Quebec’s Ministre of Transport Chantal Rouleau announced an extension of Montreal’s rapid bus system on Pie-IX Boulevard to Notre-Dame Street East by three additional stops on Friday.
The rapid bus system project, also known as the SRB (service rapide par bus), linking Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue to Notre-Dame Street East will see an additional three stops added to the 17 stations that are already under construction.
This will extend the SRB’s reserved lane for STM buses that will be separate from the rest of traffic — allowing for much quicker bus travel — by 1.7 kilometres.
READ MORE: Construction begins for express bus corridor on Pie-IX Boulevard
The original 17-station, 11-kilometre express bus corridor project was set to run only along Pie-IX Boulevard from Pierre-de-Coubertin Boulevard near the Olympic Stadium to St-Michel Boulevard in Laval.
The project was first announced in November 2018 after more than a decade of discussions and promises from the city.
The project was first discussed in 2008, when Gérald Tremblay was mayor of Montreal, with an original scheduled delivery date of 2012.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante was very pleased with the provincial government’s announcement on Friday.
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“What excellent news for Montrealers. I salute the government’s decision,” Plante said.
The mayor added that this extension will be very beneficial for residents of the area.
Rouleau said the SRB’s extension on Notre-Dame Street East will be structured, modern and electric.
Construction of the three additional stations will begin in the spring of 2022, with service set to start in the fall of 2023.
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The rapid bus system’s aim is to fill a void along the North-South corridor that lacks a fast, efficient public transit system.
The Quebec government says that once the express lane is up and running, it will serve up to 70,000 Montreal commuters every day.
–With files from Global News’ Kalina Laframbroise and Tim Sargeant
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