Bombardier, Alstom unveil new Montreal railcars

The consortium composed of Bombardier Transportation and Alstom Transport, together with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), unveiled Montreal's new metro cars. The first nine-car train was presented to the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and other high-profile guests at a celebration at Bombardier's La Pocatière plant.

The consortium is completing trials on the prototype train at the plant and expects to ship the cars to Montreal in early 2014, where it will begin qualification testing, with the STM, at the agency’s facilities.

The STM has ordered 468 of the new-generation cars, with deliveries expected to continue until 2018. Railcar features include panoramic windows and indirect lighting, for greater visual comfort; communicating passageways throughout the nine-car train; doors that are 27% larger, to ensure passenger flow; optimized air suspension to deliver a more cushioned ride; and 8% more passenger capacity.

More than 150 Canadian suppliers, some of whom are long-standing Quebec companies, are participating in the project, whose Canadian content exceeds 60%.