First AZUR Metro car arrives in Montreal

Montrealerswill soon get a glimpse of the citys new AZURMetro car,unveiled by Mayor Denis Coderre Monday after the first car arrived on the back of a flatbed truck at the Socit de transport de Montral(STM) garage on St-Laurent Boulevard.

Coderre said the new fleet of 468 AZURcars will help revitalize Montreals Metro system, which was inaugurated nearly 50 years ago.

"They will make for a more powerful, more comfortable, brighter, quieter, airy and more spacious Metro. In other words, a more user-friendly Metro, Coderre said.

Coderre said the city is confident the new cars and new features such aswireless access throughout the Metro system will get more people using public transportation.

The AZUR cars will replace the iconic blue and white MR-63 cars that have been in service since 1966.

A total of nine AZUR cars will be delivered over the next two weeks. They will form a prototype train that will begin test runs on the Metro system at night over the coming months.

Passengers will not be allowed on the trains during the testing period, which is expected to last a few months.

The STMsaid the new trains could be in service by the end of 2014 if the tests go according to plan.