Nearly half of Montreal's 68 Metro stations are in poor condition and face serious infrastructure problems [1].

This deterioration threatens the reliability of the city's primary transit network, as the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said that emergency closures may become more common to address urgent repairs.

According to statements released in May 2025, the STM identified that nearly 50% of the network's stations are in poor shape [1]. These infrastructure failures are the result of aging systems and a lack of sufficient funding to maintain the network's integrity.

"Nearly half of our stations are in poor shape and could require emergency closures," an STM spokesperson said during a press briefing [2].

The agency is now calling for a significant increase in financial support. While the province of Quebec has allocated $1.2 billion for public transit province-wide [3], the STM said this amount is insufficient for the scale of the problem.

"We need double what we have," Aref Salem, an STM spokesperson, said [4].

The agency said that billions of dollars are required to keep the Metro running safely and efficiently [3]. Without this investment, the STM suggests that the risk of sudden shutdowns will persist as the infrastructure continues to age, creating a volatile environment for daily commuters.

Montreal's transit system serves as a critical artery for the city's workforce and residents. The current state of the stations reflects a broader challenge of maintaining legacy infrastructure in a growing urban center.

“Nearly half of our stations are in poor shape and could require emergency closures”

The STM's warning highlights a critical funding gap between provincial allocations and the actual cost of maintaining urban transit. If the funding is not doubled as requested, the city faces a transition from scheduled maintenance to a 'reactive' model, where emergency closures become the primary method of infrastructure management, potentially disrupting the economic productivity of Montreal.