Still no timeline for reopening Saint-Michel Metro station after Oct. 3 closure

Montreal Metro maintenance workers work on a track during the early hours of the morning in Montreal, Thursday, April 11, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Montreal's public transit agency says it still doesn't know when the Saint-Michel Metro station will reopen after closing suddenly nearly a month ago.

The station on the Metro's blue line closed on Oct. 3 along with two other stations — Fabre and D'Iberville — after discovering major structural issues. The latter two stations have since reopened.

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said in an update on Friday that it's "possible" the Saint-Michel station could reopen in the coming weeks, but provided no timeline.

Crews have been fixing the main beams above the footbridge.

"Custom parts need to be produced for these repairs, which contributes to the timeline for resolving the situation," the STM said in a news release. Once the station reopens, repairs will continue overnight until the end of the year.

The opposition at City Hall is calling for more transparency around the work being done to bring the station back to service.

"The vagueness surrounding the reopening of Saint-Michel station demonstrates the lack of resources dedicated to assets. Under the Plante administration, the Société de transport de Montréal has constantly relied on adding managers. The result: public relations are going well, but our public transport network is doing less well," said Ensemble Montreal's public transit critic, Christine Black, in a statement.

The STM said Friday that it's trying to resume service "as soon as possible" without compromising safety and that, in the meantime, a dedicated shuttle for the blue line is still being offered.