The Pie-IX BRT is a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor on

Pie-IX Boulevard Pie-IX Boulevard (french: boulevard Pie-IX, pronounced in both English and French), named after Pope Pius IX, is a major boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs for roughly in a northwest–southeast direction between Henri Bourassa Boulev ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

between

Saint Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street (french: rue Sainte-Catherine) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de ...

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, situated in the east end of the island, generally to the south of the city's Olympic Stadium and east of downtown. Historically a poor neighbourhood, it has experienced significant ...

and Saint Martin in Laval. After four years of construction, the majority of Pie-IX BRT stations opened in November 2022, and other stations will open in 2023. Historically, a express bus service was available on Pie-IX Boulevard between 1989 and 2002 by the Société de transport de la communauté urbaine de Montréal (STCUM), until the system was abandoned due to safety concerns following deaths of pedestrians.

Background

Bus rapid transit (BRT) uses reserved

bus lanes A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway c ...

, priority to buses at intersections, all door boarding and dedicated stations - allowing for higher capacity and

reliability Reliability, reliable, or unreliable may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Computing * Data reliability (disambiguation), a property of some disk arrays in computer storage * High availability * Reliability (computer networking), a ...

than a conventional bus system. In Quebec French, bus rapid transit is known as ''Service Rapide par Bus (SRB)'', whereas in other varieties of French, bus rapid transit is known as ' (BHNS), literally 'Bus with a High Level of Service'.

History

505 R-BUS Pie-IX

The STCUM 505 R-BUS Pie-IX (Express Pie-IX), running along

Boulevard Pie-IX Pie-IX Boulevard (french: boulevard Pie-IX, pronounced in both English and French), named after Pope Pius IX, is a major boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs for roughly in a northwest–southeast direction between Henri Bourassa Boul ...

, provided supplementary, limited-stop service to the

139 Pie-IX 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 139 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 139 (New Jersey bus) 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 13 ...

bus route during rush hours. It operated from 1989 to 2002, being the first reserved-lane bus service and first BRT service in Montreal. The system had 10 dedicated stations, and a regular stop and terminus at the Pie-IX metro station. A unique feature of the original Pie-IX BRT was the use of contraflow lanes with

island platforms An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

at dedicated stations, along with other BRT features such as high frequency of service and priority traffic signals. Ridership was relatively high, with STCUM reporting around 5,000 users a day. However between 1997 and 2002, four pedestrians were fatally struck, as the layout of the bus lane was deemed too confusing and dangerous. After the fourth pedestrian fatality, service was suspended indefinitely in 2002, although a provisional curbside bus lane was set up in the boulevard's right lane. There were plans to restart the service once safety cones and fences are installed along Pie-IX Boulevard, but the relaunch did not occur. The stations were dismantled as of August 2010, to make way for the revised service system. Metro (Montreal)
"Disparition des derniers vestiges de la voie réservée sur Pie-IX"
, Jennifer Guthrie, 03 août 2010 21:49

Pie-IX BRT

In 2007, the City of Montreal proposed a renewed bus rapid transit service on Pie-IX Boulevard as part of its transportation plan. The plan calls for BRT service along Pie-IX from Autoroute 440 in Laval to

Notre-Dame Street Notre-Dame Street (officially in french: Rue Notre-Dame) is a historic east-west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine to the eastern tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, ...

, continuing along Notre-Dame and

René Lévesque Boulevard René Lévesque Boulevard (french: Boulevard René-Lévesque), previously named Dorchester Boulevard () is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a main east–west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borou ...

to offer an express link to Downtown Montreal. In 2009, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) regional transportation agency formally proposed the Pie-IX BRT to the provincial government, calling for frequent 24-hour service on bidirectional lanes in the central median between Autoroute 40 and Notre-Dame Street. The renewed BRT proposal called for

side platforms A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

at stops, eliminating the much-criticized contraflow design of the original lane. Although the AMT planned for the Pie-IX BRT to begin operations in 2013, the project only received approval from the provincial government in 2015, with a tentative completion date of 2022. The approved project was less ambitious than the original proposal, calling only for the construction of bidirectional bus lanes and 15 BRT stops between Charleroi Street in

Montréal-Nord Montreal North (french: Montréal-Nord) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city of Montréal-Nord on Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. It was amalgamated into t ...

and Pie-IX station in

Construction

After the project was transferred to the

Société de transport de Montréal The Société de transport de Montréal (STM; en, Montreal Transit Corporation) is a public transport agency that operates transit bus and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1861 as the "Montreal City Passenger Ra ...

(STM) in 2017, construction began in November 2018. Work beganwith the rebuilding of the underground utilities beneath the boulevard. It was also announced that the Pie-IX BRT would be extended after all to Saint-Martin in Laval, as the provincial government agreed to rebuild

Pie IX Bridge Pie IX Bridge is a bridge in Quebec, spanning the Rivière des Prairies. It connects the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul area of Laval, on Île Jésus, and the borough of Montréal-Nord in Montreal, on the Island of Montreal. The bridge was part of Aut ...

to carry the bus lanes across the

Rivière des Prairies The Rivière des Prairies (; ), called the Back River in English, is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The Kanien'kehá:ka called it ''Skowanoti'', meaning "River behind the island". The river separates the citi ...

. The total cost of the project was estimated to be $394 million. The southern portion axed in 2015 was restored in 2019 when the province announced that the Pie-IX BRT would be extended southward to Notre-Dame Street, with construction to begin in spring 2022 and end in fall 2023. In 2022, it was announced that the launch of the Pie-IX BRT would be phased, with most of the service launching as planning in late 2022. The openings of Jean-Talon and Bélanger stations were pushed back to 2023 due to the construction of a pedestrian tunnel to better integrate the BRT service with the future Blue Line extension station. Pierre-De Coubertin station was also pushed back to 2023 due to construction delays. The overall cost of the project had increased to $472m.

Opening

After a formal opening by

Mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...

Valérie Plante Valérie Plante (born June 14, 1974) is a Canadian politician serving as the 45th and current mayor of Montreal since 2017.

and Quebec Minister for Transport

Geneviève Guilbault Geneviève Guilbault (born November 4, 1982) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in a by-election held in the electoral district Louis-Hébert on October 2, 2017. with 6 stations planned to open in 2023.

Features

The Pie-IX bus rapid transit system includes many typical BRT features, which save an estimated 10 minutes from the bus travel time along Pie-IX Boulevard. * Bus priority measures — The Pie-IX BRT have a dedicated

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

along a bidirectional, all-day central bus lane along its entire route from Saint-Martin to Notre-Dame Street along with traffic-signal priority measures at major intersections. * Station infrastructure — Featuring platform-level boarding and dedicated stations, the Pie-IX BRT is fully-accessible and equipped with passenger shelters and countdown timers at all stops. * All-door boarding — Unlike most buses in Montreal where boarding is only permitted through the front door, the Pie-IX BRT permits passengers to enter and exit through all doors to decrease the boarding time. Additionally, work to replace municipal infrastructure such as sewer and water lines, as well as repaving roads and sidewalks took place. Extensive landscaping including tree planting also took place.

Stations

Artwork

Owing to Quebec's

percent for art The term percent for art refers to a program, often a city ordinance, where a fee, usually some percentage of the project cost, is placed on large scale development projects in order to fund and install public art. The details of such programs va ...

programme, and following the example of the Montreal Metro, the Pie-IX BRT will have artwork at its stations. ''Kyrielle'' by Montreal born artist Jean-Sébastien Denis consists of painted aluminium in 70 different varieties, fixed to the Pie-IX BRT shelters. The patterns and colours of the aluminium evoke flags and other emblems.

Future plans

Pie-IX light rail

Rail service along Pie-IX Boulevard has been discussed on several occasions in the city's history. While an

electric streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

once existed on Pie-IX Boulevard, the service was withdrawn in the mid-20th century in favour of motor buses. Later, as part of the development of the Montreal Metro, a White Line was proposed beneath Pie-IX Boulevard, but the project never moved past the planning stage. In the City of Montreal's 2007 Transportation Plan, Pie-IX is identified as a potential axis for light rail development. In response to calls for the Pie-IX bus rapid transit project to be converted to light rail, an ARTM spokesperson indicated in 2018 that the project had advanced too far and that it was too late to consider an alternative transit mode.

BRT expansion

The 2007 Transportation Plan that proposed the Pie-IX BRT also called for a five-kilometre BRT route along Henri Bourassa Boulevard to be built by 2018 at a cost of $25 million. However, this project did not advance further than the conceptual stage. Ahead of the

2021 Montreal municipal election Municipal elections were held in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada on November 7, 2021, as part of the 2021 Quebec municipal elections. Voters elected 103 representatives in a First-past-the-post voting, first-past-the-post electoral system. Th ...

Projet Montréal Projet Montréal (officially Projet Montréal - Équipe Valérie Plante) is a progressive, environmentalist municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2004, it is led by Valérie Plante, and holds a majority of seats on M ...

proposed as part of its successful bid for a second mandate to implement a "Metrobus" with characteristics similar to the Pie-IX BRT on Henri-Bourassa Boulevard. The line would extend from

Du Ruisseau station Du Ruisseau is a future Réseau express métropolitain (REM) station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, expected to open for REM service by the end of 2024. It was formerly a commuter rail station on the Deux-Montagnes line until Exo ended service in 2 ...

on the

Réseau express métropolitain The Réseau express métropolitain (REM; en, Metropolitan Express Network) is a light metro rapid transit system under construction in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When completed in 2025, the system will link several Montreal suburbs and ...

to the proposed Montréal-Nord station on the REM de l'Est, with connections at

Henri-Bourassa station Henri-Bourassa station is a Montreal Metro station in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and serves the Orange Line. It is located in the Ahuntsic di ...

on the Orange Line and Amos station on the Pie-IX BRT. The STM has also commissioned a prefeasibility study exploring the implementation of three BRT lines on Henri-Bourassa Boulevard,

Côte-des-Neiges Road Côte-des-Neiges Road (officially in french: chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges) is a street in Montreal, home to Plaza Côte-des-Neiges. It is served by Métro Côte-des-Neiges and two bus lanes. BIXI bike rental is also available. It extends from the ...

and

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Av ...

, with the final report due in 2023.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Pie-IX BRT project page
* STM 505 R-BUS Pie-I

an

(copies archived November 2011)
Innovative Service Design Among Bus Rapid Transit Systems In The Americas
(PDF) Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit in Canada 1989 establishments in Quebec