The recent unveiling of Montreal Exo’s newest generation of rail cars for its Saint-Jérôme Line demonstrates the larger industry-wide push to enhance accessibility as well as STV’s ability to navigate challenging conditions to deliver for its clients.
The first six of 44 double decker coach cars debuted on the Saint-Jérôme Line, which connects Downtown Montreal and the Saint-Jérôme neighborhood on Montreal’s North Shore. The vehicles feature a wide range of improvements and amenities such as more capacity for passengers, brighter and more inviting lighting, and high contrast indoor/outdoor display screens.
In concert with Exo’s Accessibility Development Plan 2023-2027 they were also designed with accessibility in mind. The cars feature wider doors, more accessible restrooms and space for motorized mobility aids and bicycles. As part of a separate project, Exo will be adding new ramps at nine Saint-Jérôme Line stations.
Since 2017, STV has provided a range of consulting services, including project management, design review and first article inspections in support of this rolling stock acquisition plan. The vehicles were built in Tianjin, China by Chinese manufacturer, CRRC.
Adding to the program’s complexity was the fact that several key milestones transpired over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“STV’s team had to coordinate around COVID-19 lockdowns in China, supply chain issues and other unexpected roadblocks because of the pandemic,” said Andrew Lamb, STV’s project manager. “Our team of engineers and inspectors worked around-the-clock, remotely during the pandemic’s earliest days, to support CRRC’s engineers and production team.”
Once COVID restrictions were eased, STV’s team coordinated with suppliers from across the globe, including the U.S., Canada, Germany and China.
STV has a long-standing history of delivering transformative projects for the Montreal transit agency. Nearly 15 years ago, the firm helped facilitate a groundbreaking dual-agency procurement involving NJ TRANSIT and Exo. STV was providing engineering support and developed specifications for NJ TRANSIT’s procurement of ALP-45DP dual-powered locomotives – the first locomotive of its kind to utilize both a diesel engine and an overhead electrical power – when Exo approached the firm looking for a similar vehicle. STV worked with the manufacturer and both agencies, to develop a memorandum of understanding that afforded both Exo and NJ TRANSIT an economy of scale through the purchase of a larger quantity of units. It was the first joint vehicle procurement undergone by two agencies separated by an international border.
These new vehicles were praised by Exo and Montreal officials for both their physical and visual enhancements. Deputy Premier of Quebec and Minister of Transports and Sustainable Mobility Geneviève Guilbault celebrated how the new vehicles would “meet the needs of citizens of the North Shore and Laval.”
“Despite any hurdles we encountered during this program, these cars have been extremely well received by Exo management,” said James Martin, PE, PMP, senior vice president and head of STV’s vehicles group. “Our project team delivered stellar support to Exo during the design process.”