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Montreal Metro

The city of Montreal's metro system was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure of Mayor Jean Drapeau. It consisted in the beginning of 26 stations on three lines; this has been expanded to 65 stations on four lines, serving the centre and east of Montreal Island with a connection to Longueuil and, soon, Laval.

Due to Montreal's winter conditions and the metro's rubber tire technology, the metro is entirely underground. It was the first metro in the world to run entirely on rubber tires.

Trains are composed of three, six, or nine cars (maximum length 152,4 metres). Service runs starts at 5:30 am and runs to 1:00 am on weekdays and Sunday, 1:30 am on Saturday, and 12:15 am on the blue line. Rush hour intervals on the orange and green lines downtown are three to five minutes between trains.

Montreal's metro is renowned for its architecture and public art[?]. Under the direction of Mayor Drapeau, each station was to be designed in a different style by a different architect. Several of its stations are very important examples of modernist architecture[?], and various system-wide design choices were informed by the International style[?].

Furthermore, along with Stockholm, Montreal pioneered the installation of public art in the metro. More than fifty of its stations are decorated with over one hundred works of public art, such as sculpture, stained glass, and murals by noted Quebec artists, including members of the famous art movement les Automatistes.

Important works include the stained-glass window by Marcelle Ferron at Champ-de-Mars metro and the Guimard[?] Parisian metro entrance donated by the RATP[?] to commemorate its cooperation in constructing the metro. (It is the only authentic Guimard entrance in use in the world outside Paris.)

Montreal's metro is a linchpin of its underground city[?]; many buildings downtown are accessible directly by metro, and the commuter train has four intermodal transfer stations with the metro.

The metro is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal[?], which also operates the bus services in Montreal. Metro and bus fares are fully integrated.

The metro includes stations named after:

Montreal metro lines:
Montreal metro lines are identified by colour and by terminus station.

Green line, Angrignon - Honoré-Beaugrand
Orange line, Côte-Vertu - Henri-Bourassa (extension to Laval scheduled for completion by 2006)
Yellow line, Berri-UQAM - Longueuil
Blue line, Snowdon - Saint-Michel

External links
Société de transport de Montréal (STM) (http://www.stm.info)
Montreal by Metro, metrodemontreal.com (http://www.metrodemontreal.com)

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