Cracks that appeared in the vault of the metro tunnel between the Berri-UQAM and Saint-Laurent stations are behind the indefinite closure of the green line.
This is what the Société de transports de Montréal (STM) finally let know on Monday afternoon, several hours after the interruption of services and the evacuation of several stations.
A water leak would have initially made it possible to detect the cracks which are currently being assessed by the STM engineering team.
In order “to ensure the safety of its employees and customers”, the STM has asked the City of Montreal to divert heavy vehicle traffic between Berri and Saint-Laurent streets.
A second expertise must also be carried out shortly to assess the state of the situation.
Late Monday afternoon, after first announcing that service would be interrupted on the green line between Lionel-Groulx and Frontenac stations, the STM had specified that this service interruption would be of “indefinite duration”.
We still don’t know how long this service interruption could last, said STM spokeswoman Isabelle A. Tremblay.
The latter was also unable to specify the origin of the cracks. Major work is currently underway on rue Maisonneuve, between rue Berri and rue Sanguinet, to replace the waterproof membrane above the metro, but there is no indication for the moment that they are the source.
To mitigate the impact on customers faced with this exceptional closure, the STM will set up a temporary shuttle bus service that will be offered continuously from 5 p.m. until the last train passes between Berri-UQAM and Frontenac stations, and this , until further notice.
The shuttle will stop at each green line metro station on this section and will be available in both directions.
Staff will also be positioned at strategic locations in the stations to direct customers to the orange line and the temporary surface service, the STM said.
The Montreal Police Department was called upon to intervene “in support” of the STM.
