The Société de transport de Montréal unveiled its innovative design of the future Bellechasse bus garage, which will include a large public space. The $254 million project also involves a citizen participatory process beginning in early 2019.

“[The Bellechasse bus garage in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie] will house a significant portion of our 300 hybrid buses...,” says Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante.

“The garage’s construction is again proof of the acceleration of our 2025 Strategic Organizational Plan, which will also enable us to achieve our goal of acquiring only electric buses as of 2025,” says Philippe Schnobb, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the STM.

The new design, developed in collaboration with architecture firm Lemay, offers the following features:

•     A ring-shaped administrative building, including an interior courtyard designed for employees;

•     A three-level underground garage, comprising one level for bus parking, one for electrical infrastructure and one for maintenance workshops, with several skylights;

•     A large green space accessible to the public;

•     100% bus circulation inside the garage to minimize the impact on the neighbourhood;

•     The first bus garage designed to house electric buses — 100% in the long-term;

This design will make the Bellechasse bus garage the first multi-level bus garage in Canada and the first underground bus garage in North America.

Work must begin in spring 2019 for the bus garage to be up and running in January 2022. The construction of this bus garage is necessary due to the age of the Saint-Denis bus garage, which will be demolished when the work is completed.

In early 2019, the STM will introduce a participatory process to integrate the community’s vision into the project’s design.

The Bellechasse bus garage construction project is made possible thanks to funding from the governments of Canada and Quebec.