Green Line (Montreal Metro)

The Green Line (Ligne verte), also known as Line 1 (Ligne 1), is one of the four lines of the Montreal Metro in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The line runs through the commercial section of downtown Montreal underneath Boulevard de Maisonneuve, formerly. It runs mainly on a northeast to southwest axis with a connection to the Orange and Yellow Lines at Berri-UQAM, and with the Orange Line west of downtown at Lionel-Groulx.

The section between Atwater and Frontenac was part of the initial network; the line was extended to Honoré-Beaugrand in 1976 to provide easy access to 1976 Summer Olympics sites. It was extended to Angrignon in 1978. All but three stations — De L'Église,, and Charlevoix — are side platform stations.

History
On November 3, 1961, Montreal City Council approved an initial Metro network 16 km in length. The main line, or Line 1 (Green Line) was to pass between the two most important arteries, Saint Catherine and Sherbrooke streets, more or less under the De Maisonneuve Boulevard. It would extend between the English-speaking west at Atwater station and French-speaking east at.

Construction of the first two lines began May 23, 1962, under the supervision of the Director of Public Works, Lucien L'Allier. On August 6, 1963, it was agreed that the under construction line would be extended to Square-Victoria and Bonaventure stations, after construction costs for tunnels were lower than expected.

The first stations, found on the section between Atwater and Papineau, opened on October 14, 1966. Several smaller sections were delayed by several months. On December 19, 1966, the line was further extended from Papineau to Frontenac, and two days later came the stopover Beaudry between Berri-UQAM and Papineau. On December 20, 1967, Frédéric Back completed his art piece  L'histoire de la musique à Montréal (The history of music in Montreal) in Place-des-Arts station. This commissioned piece was the first artwork completed in the Metro system.

The construction of the second phase began in 1971, when Montreal was awarded the bid to host the 1976 Summer Olympics. The goal was to have the ability to transport visitors from downtown to the Olympic Park in the east end. The opening of the section between Frontenac and Honoré-Beaugrand took place on June 6, 1976, six weeks before the start of the Summer Olympics. Green Line trains inaugurated an autopilot feature on November 8, 1976.

The third expansion phase, between Atwater and Angrignon, came into operation on September 3, 1978.

In the 2010s and 2020s, renovation work and the installation of elevators took place at many stations on the Green Line. , ten stations on the line are accessible, including both interchange stations at Berri-UQAM and Lionel-Groulx.

In 2024, following years of studies, the STM's parent agency, the ARTM, in conjunction with the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec and the City of Montreal began conducting surveys regarding a possible extension of the Green Line westwards towards Lachine.

Operation hours and frequency
The Green Line operates between 5:30 a.m. and 12:35 a.m on weekdays and Sunday, and between 5:30 a.m. and 1:05 a.m on Saturday. Trains arrive at stations every 3 to 6 minutes during peak periods, every 3 to 8 minutes during off peak periods, and every 6 to 11 minutes at weekends.

Rolling stock
At the line's opening in 1966, MR-63 cars were used on the Green Line. Upon the introduction of the MR-73 cars on the Green Line in 1976, the older MR-63 cars were used on the Orange Line. From the early-1980s to 2018, MR-63 cars were again used on the Green Line.

With the introduction of the newer MPM-10 trains (also known as Azur) from 2016 on the Orange Line, the Green Line is now primarily served by both the MR-73 and MPM-10 cars. The MR-63 trains were fully retired on June 21, 2018. As of December 2021, all 71 Azur train sets had been delivered. Of these, 26 Azur train sets run on the Green Line.

In the 2020s, work to order new rolling stock to replace the MR-73 trains began. The STM also noted that to increase the capacity of the Green Line by 37%, works to upgrade garages and signalling systems would also be required.