Montreal Subway Extension Delayed Until 2029 as Cost Estimate Rises to $6.4 Billion

Montreal Subway Extension Delayed Until 2029 as Cost Estimate Rises to $6.4 Billion
A commuter boards a subway train from an empty platform in Montreal, May 25, 2020. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson
The Canadian Press
Updated:

Officials say the long-planned extension of a Montreal subway line will now open in 2029 and cost some $6.4 billion.

Representatives of all three levels of government were on hand to announce the latest plans for the extension of the metro’s blue line, which has been in discussion for decades.

Four years ago, then-premier Philippe Couillard was joined by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to announce that five stations serving the city’s east end would be complete by 2026 at a cost $3.9 billion.

Federal Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, provincial cabinet minister Chantal Rouleau and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante told a news conference today that the new estimates account for inflation as well as possible supply chain delays.

Excavation work is expected to begin in 2023 and construction is expected to take six years.

The extension of the blue line has been discussed, in various forms, since 1979.