Metro, Montreal

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It takes you to almost all the places in Montreal, it´s safe and easy way to know the city. The buses are also good, or you can walk to most of the places, too. Bikes are really popular in Montreal as well.

Getting around Montreal was relatively easy. The metro was easy to figure out and I'm saying this as a person who is not accustomed to using public transportation. The only problem was that they close around midnight, so plan accordingly.

The subway system in Montreal is called the "metro" like the one in Paris. It was inaugurated in 1966, just in time for Expo 67 (World Fairs). Every station was conceived by a distinct architect. Instead of travelling on a system where all stations are alike – which is the case for most metros in the world – Montrealers are commuting in a system where every station is unique and decorated with artworks. Champs-de-Mars & Square Victoria are my favourite ones.

Montreal has 4 different lines: orange (Henri-Bourassa - Cote-Vertu), green (Angrignon - Honoré-Beaugrand), blue (Snowdon - St-Michel) and yellow (Berri-UQAM - Longueuil).

The 2 downtown lines are the green and orange lines. The first one goes from south-west (Verdun & Lasalle) to the east-end, whereas the orange one goes up to the north end of the island in Ahunstic (coming soon to the North Shore city of Laval) and Ville St-Laurent. The blue line is on the other side of the mountain and goes from Cote-des-Neiges district to the St-Michel district. Finally, the short yellow line goes from downtown to the South Shore city of Longueuil.

It is very easy to use. You can access a station when you see the blue metro sign. The only thing you need to know is where you are going which will determine the colour of the line and the direction (last stop) youre going. The cost is relatively cheap: 2,50$ for a one way trip (free transfers) for adults, 11,25$ for 6 tickets, 18$ for an unlimited weekly bus/metro pass or 61$ for a monthy pass. Tourist cards are 8$ for one day or 16$ for 3 days of unlimited access to bus and metro. More info: www.stm.info/English/info/a-cartet.htm

The metro is a great way to get around Montreal, especially when the weather is bad. It will take you to or near almost every significant atttraction the city has to offer. It is known as one of the safest and cleanest in the world.

Single-trip fare is $3, but visitors can purchase a tourist card which grants them a one-day ($8) or three-day ($16) access to the public transit system, which includes the new 747 bus service to/from Trudeau Airport.

Similar to the subway systems of Moscow and Stockholm, Montreal's metro stations were all designed differently, which makes them easy to recognize. If you are interested about the architectural details and artwork of Montreal's metro stations, you can check out this excellent website: http://www.metrodemontreal.com.

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The Montreal Metro System is an underground train metro (subway) system which can get you anywhere in the city for only $2.75 per destination (transfers are free). It is very easy to use, with four different colored lines. Check the metro map to locate your route. No traffic or parking worries. It is also clean and safe!

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Montreal's Metro system, called la Societe de Transport, compares quite favorably with the ones in New York, London, or Paris (it's better than the one in Washington). It's fast, safe, cheap, and reliable. With 68 stations, this system will take you to nearly all the places worth visiting in Montreal. The trains run from 5:30 am to about 12:30-1:00 am (see website for exact hours).

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The metro here is great. Easy to use, one price (Canadian $2.75) for one travel. Buy an Opus Card for 20 passes for Canadian $20.00 but Opus cards cannot be shared (we were told). The metro is conveniently located at many of the main tourist sights like the Biodome. And if it isn't, taking a taxi is actually not too expensive either.

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Being a fairly modern system Montreal's Metro has many unique characteristics and one of the first things that I noticed about it is that the trains and platforms have actually been built with each other in mind. So, unlike our much-loved London Tube, there is virtually no gap between the train and platform and they are both on the same level.

The second thing that struck me was how quiet the trains are. This was the first Metro to run on rubber wheels, rather than steel, which, as well as cutting down noise. also reduces vibration (and hence structural wear and tear), makes for a smoother ride and makes it easier for the trains to climb the various track inclines.

Not only are the trains and platforms well-designed but so too are the stations. Each station is individual and most have their own collection of artworks - Square Victoria even has an authentic art nouveau Parisian "Metropolitian" sign. Further on the cultural front, buskers are encouraged and have designated performance areas (but noise must be kept below 80 decibels) and some stations have large screen televisions which double-up as the train information boards.

Yep - it's a pretty impressive system. Second website below has loads more useful and interesting info.

The Metro is definitely the easiest way to get aound Montreal and the 4 lines with their 68 stations will take you pretty much wherever you want to be. The Metro also connects with the rest of the public transport system (local bus, commuter train services and the main national bus and train stations) and so you can get anywhere in the world from your local Metro station!

The Metro is very easy to use with distinctive signage indicating which line you are travelling on and the train's direction and there are plenty of maps around the stations and also available from the station and tourist offices.

The main Metro lines run from 5.30 am until 1 am, 7 days a week, and a half-hour later on Saturday nights (the blue line starts at 6 and finishes at 12.15). The trains are frequent (about every 10 minutes early morning/late evening and up to every 3 minutes during the rush hours), clean, safe and reliable.

At the time of writing (April 2009) the single fare is $2.75 per trip, regardless of distance, and allows for transfers within the system. You can also use the ticket on local buses by obtaining a correspondance (transfer) from either the ticket office or from a machine inside the Metro turnstile which is valid for 90 minutes - tho' it should be noted that the correspondance must be obtained at the start of the journey.

There are also various other ticket options including a carnet of 6 tickets for $12.75, a 1 day tourist pass for $9 and a 3 day tourist pass for $17 - the tourist passes are valid for unlimited travel on both Metro and Bus and don't require correspondances.

Montreal's metro system is an inexpensive, easy mode of travel around town. They have some very interesting stations too. Most have some kind of art - sculptures, mosaics, stained glass, murals...and one (Square-Victoria) even looks like a Paris metro station entrance.

This is also a good place to enter the underground city (souterraine in French), which has shops, restaurants, and many services available so that you never need to go outside. It is the largest underground complex on the planet and connects not just shopping malls and metro stations but businesses, apartment buildings, and even McGill University.