New Montreal Metro train finally in service

Montreal Metro passengers had the chance this morning to do something they have never done before: board a subway car that looks different.

As asleek grey train pulled into theHenri-Bourassastationa little after10 a.m.,it marked the first time the public has had a chance to ride the newAZURtrains.

Theywill replace the iconic blue and white MR-63 cars that have been in service since 1966, when the Metro first opened. An updated version of theMR-63, which looks identical from the exterior, was introduced in 1976.

• STM'snewAZURMetro to undergo daytime testing
• STM will keep 40-year-old Metro cars on tracks until 2036

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and a number of other dignitaries were among those waiting anxiously for the new train ontheHenri-Bourassa platform.

"It's the start of a new era," Coderre said. "What's important today is that Montreal, like other big cities, is getting up-to-date in terms of sustainable development."

The newtrains haveno partitionbetween cars, allowing passengers to move freely from one car to the next. They alsofeaturelargerwindows, armrests, widerdoors and pneumatic suspension.

'Everything is different'

As the trainpicked up its first passengers, they remarked on the smoother ride.

"Everything is different," saidGillesBenoit, who made the trip from Longueuil.He worked for several years as a Montreal Metro operator, and wanted to be among the first to ride the new trains.

"I love it," he said, smiling.

For the moment there is onlyone of thenew trains in operation and onlyon the orange line. A total of 52 new trains will be gradually phased into service by 2018.

The 468 new cars are being built by theBombardier-Alstomconsortium, at a costof $1.2 billion.