Montreal transit agency to upgrade station in preparation for medical center opening

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) will kick off construction at the Vendome metro station in October to increase passenger capacity and improve flow in preparation for the opening of the McGill University Medical Center.

The $3.46 million project (in Canadian dollars) primarily involves demolishing the existing staircases and building new ones, and repositioning existing turnstiles. Work will cover five areas inside the station and will be staggered from October to June 2015, with the station staying open during that time, according to a STM press release.

As part of the project, STM's board last week awarded a $1.3 million million contract (in Canadian dollars) to Rainmaker Construction Inc. to oversee the upgrades in Vendome station’s entryway. The entire project is being funded by the ministère des Transports du Québec.

"The work being undertaken at Vendome station will ensure the safe flow of transit users and, in the short term, meet the greater mobility and fluidity requirements expected when the [medical center] opens its doors," said STM Chairman Philippe Schnobb.