The Georges-Vanier metro station will be entirely closed this summer (June 2 to Sept.5) as the STM demolishes and reconstructs parts of the station inside and outside (STM !NFO PDF). In its place, a shuttle between Lionel-Groulx and Lucien-L’Allier (or a few blocks from Lucien-L’Allier anyway) will run every 10 minutes from the opening to closing of the metro. Trains will slow down through the station but won’t let anyone off there.
vanier station has always freaked me out. i travel on the orange line twice a day and i rarely see anyone get on or off at this station. why they’re bothering to renovate it when there are stations in seemingly much worse shape (guy-concordia) puzzles me.
Yeah, I was wondering the exact same thing.
Yeah, I got harassed there once. Definitely in a sketchy part of town (where I lived until April), and usually fairly deserted, so you’re screwed if someone wants to mug you. Hmm… yes, it does make me wonder why they’re bothering to renovate it. Knowing the shape of Quebec infrastructure, it was probably on the verge of collapsing and they’re quietly repairing it, hoping nobody finds out the truth. In fact, I always thought it was in decent shape – after all, it is the second-most-deserted station. I’ll admit though, I think there were problems with the piping (as seen in the leaky walls and ceiling, but hey, isn’t that the case in, oh say, Guy-Concordia too?
When I last saw ridership stats for the metro, it was the least-used station by a good margin. Looking at the detour shuttle map, you really have to wonder how much time and money is being expended to save people the inconvenience of what really can’t be more than a ten or fifteen minute walk from Lionel-Groulx or Lucien-L’Allier. For local residents surely it’s not too inconvenient to walk just that small touch further…
Perhaps they should just eliminate the station entirely and not bother with the renovations? Any compelling reason it should be there? There are few jobs or other non-residential destinations in the immediate area and the CCA is likely better accessed by going up along Atwater or through the Overdale area from Lucien L’Allier… though I once saw a really interesting project for a walking route connecting the CCA with the Lachine Canal in a much less sketchy fashion than the current state.
Georges-Vanier is among the bottom, but De La Savane is still the lowest (it sits next to a highway in an industrial park). Even so, people enter the station 730,000 times a year, or 2,000 times a day.
And people live there. People who don’t have many other options for public transit because the nearest buses are far away. Why introduce a 15-minute delay into everyone’s commute if it’s unnecessary?
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