The Orange Line - project n° 2
Brief History: "In 1966, the Montreal metro had 26 stations. Since 2007, there are 68. All are
operated by the Société de transport de Montréal, including the station at the city of Longueuil and the three inaugurated at the city of Laval, in 2007.
From the beginning of construction in the early 1960s, the designers of the Montreal metro wanted each station to be unique. So they hired several architects to build the stations. From the 1970s, architects were tasked with integrating art and architecture from a station’s early design stages. Some created the artwork themselves, others commissioned them from artists."
The stations are divided into four lines: the Green Line, the Orange Line, the Blue Line and the Yellow Line. Click on the word Subway to see the network map.
For a month in the summer of 2019, alone I visited all 68 stations. I spent 6-8 hours by day going from one station to another. Going up and down the steps, escalators and elevators. Each time, I looked at the different stations inside and outside, and I took pictures. In all, about 2000 photos.
In total, I show you photos taken at 41 stations. Sometimes just one photo or several.
The length of the Orange Line is approx. 24.8 kilometers (15.4 miles) with 31 stations. I show you 18 in total in two projects.
My information about the stations has been taken from this link:
and for the artworks to this other:
DU COLLÈGE
This stained-glass window in glass and resin was created by Charland-Favretti and Pierre Osterrath, in 1984. Together, they created no fewer than five stained-glass windows for this station, four in the north access and one in the south. Those in the north access deal primarily with the history of Ville Saint-Laurent and educational themes, while the window in the south entrance is inspired by its aeronautics industry.
Du Collège station is located in the borough of Saint-Laurent and serves the Orange Line. The station is a normal side platform station with an entrance at either end. The southern entrance is located in a bus loop. It opened on January 9, 1984. In May 2018, elevators were inaugurated at the station, making it fully accessible.
This station is named for College Street, whose name commemorates the nearby Cégep de Saint-Laurent, inaugurated as a college in 1847 and turned into a Cégep in 1968. (Du Collège Wikipedia)
Architect Gilles S. Bonetto designed station du Collège in collaboration with his colleague, Jacques Garand. While Garand designed the south entrance to the station, Bonetto designed the north access.
DE LA SAVANE
De La Savane station is located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal, and serves the Orange Line. It opened on January 9, 1984.
The station is a normal side platform station with an entrance at the north end. The station was designed by Guy de Varennes and Almas Mathieu. Its artworks include mural treatments in the entrance, mezzanine, and platforms by the architects, as well as a large metal sculpture by Maurice Lemieux, Entitled Calcite.
This station is named for the nearby rue de la Savane, a connector street between the Decarie expressway and Jean Talon Street. (De La Savane Wikipedia)
"Calcite" (1984). In this futuristic station, a skylight illuminates a stainless steel sculpture by Maurice Lemieux, reflecting sunlight on its facets throughout the mezzanine.
The title and shape of the work refer to the mineral of the same name, which the artist correctly predicted would be found in the rock surrounding the station.
NAMUR
Namur station is located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal and serves the Orange Line. It opened on January 9, 1984. The station is a normal side platform station with an entrance at the north end. The station was designed by the firm of Labelle, Marchand et Geoffroy. The station's mezzanine contains a giant suspended illuminated aluminum sculpture, entitled Système, by noted Quebec artist Pierre Granche.
This station is named for Rue Namur, the former name for a portion of Rue Jean-Talon; the road had been renamed by the time the station was opened, so a nearby road (Rue Arnoldi) was renamed Namur in 1980 to allow the station to keep its name. Namur is a city and province in Belgium. (Namur Wikipedia)
"Système" (1984) is a huge sculpture created by Pierre Granche, a spatial structure composed of 28 polished aluminum modules, contains the lighting for the station’s mezzanine. The geometric forms are each 3.3 metres across, and are made up of twelve hexagons and six squares each.
This innovative geometrical concept was developed by the structural topology research group at the Université de Montréal.
Born in Montréal, sculptor Pierre Granche (1948-1997) taught art at the Université de Montréal from 1975 to 1997. More than a dozen of his works can be found in public places, including a sculpture at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.
PLAMONDON
Plamondon station is located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal,
and serves the Orange Line. It opened on June 29, 1982 and replaced Côte-Sainte-Catherine station as the Orange Line's western terminus until the extension to Du Collège Station was completed in 1984.
The station is a normal side platform station with an entrance at either end. The decor of the station is divided in two to reflect the two entrances, with blue panels to the north and reddish-pink to the south. The station was designed by Patrice Gauthier.
This station is named for av. Plamondon, so named by Montreal city council in 1911 without a stated reason. It may be named for Quebec painter Antoine Plamondon (1804–1895) or singer Rodolphe Plamondon (1875–1940). (Plamondon Wikipedia)
On the sign on the right, it is written in French: "Interdiction de franchir cette barrière sous peine d'une amende." "It is forbidden to cross this barrier under penalty of a fine."
CÔTE-SAINTE-CATHERINE
Côte-Sainte-Catherine station is located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal and serves the Orange Line. The station opened on January 4, 1982.
The station is a normal side platform station, built in tunnel with a central mezzanine built in trench, and one entrance. The station was designed by Gilbert Sauvé and contains murals and reliefs by the architect.
This station is named for the Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, which has been called that since the 17th century. The station and road were all named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
(Côte-Sainte-Catherine Wikipedia)
VENDÔME
Marcelle Ferron combined a stained-glass window with a spiral-shaped stainless steel sculpture stretching across the station (1981). The window spreads natural light to the platforms, while the sculpture scatters its endless, changing colours. The structure sits directly above the platforms. Originally, the sculpture was intended to produce sounds from the wind from the movement of the trains, like a huge set of panpipes.
Born in Louiseville, Marcelle Ferron (1924-2001) made her artwork accessible by integrating it into the architecture of public buildings. As she said: “My aim has always been modest: to transform the arranged marriage [of art and architecture] into a love match.”
Vendôme station is an intermodal transit station located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, connects to Exo's commuter rail network by a pedestrian tunnel.
The station is a normal side platform, and serves the Orange Line. It is the network's deepest station without escalators or moving sidewalks. Upgrading the original entrance would have been expensive. So, a second entrance was built and inaugurated on May 31, 2021. This was designed to offer a wheelchair-accessible direct connection, but just for the subway.
The station was designed by the firm of Desnoyers, Mercure, Leziy, Gagnon, Sheppard et Gélinas. It also contains a plaque commemorating Jean Descaris, a 17th-century pioneer, and his descendant Alphonse Décarie, on whose land Vendôme and Villa-Maria Metro stations were built.
This station is named for avenue de Vendôme, maybe named for the French Dukes of Vendôme. (Vendôme Wikipedia)
PLACE-SAINT-HENRI
Place-Saint-Henri station is located in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest (the southwest) in Montreal and serves the Orange Line. The station opened on April 28, 1980.
The station is a normal side platform station and is connected by long stairwells to a large mezzanine. The station has three accesses. Since November 17, 2020, two accesses have been closed for the construction of new entrance buildings and the installation of elevators. Work is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023. (Place-Saint-Henri Wikipedia)
"In 1810, the Sulpicians built a first chapel [in this neighborhood]. According to Father Auclair, who wrote a history of the origins of the neighborhood in 1943, the village was named "Saint-Henri" in reference to this chapel." Since then, the place, the district and this station took their name from this chapel placed under the protection of Saint-Henry. (Place-Saint-Henri Wikipedia)
"In 1534, Jacques Cartier reached the island of Newfoundland, with his two ships [...] He thought he would find the famous passage to Asia [...] He then actually explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence. "
In homage to Jacques Cartier, Joseph-Arthur Vincent created this copper and wood statue in 1893. The statue had been severely damaged by bad weather, in 2001 the City of Montreal restored it and decided to give it a home by displaying it inside the Place-Saint-Henri station. A bronze replica of the statue was created and occupies its original place atop a fountain in nearby St. Henri Park.
Suspended in the centre of the station, and over the platforms, this sculpture is in aluminum and painted steel. A stainless steel shaft supports six truncated cylinders in shaped aluminum and enamelled sheet steel. Originally, the sculpture was set up to be rotated by a motor. It is a creation of Jacques de Tonnancour (1980).
Born in Montréal, Jacques de Tonnancour (1917-2005) became one of Québec and Canada’s most renowned painters.
GEORGES-VANIER
Georges-Vanier station is located in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal and serves the Orange Line. It is located in the Little Burgundy area. The station opened on April 28, 1980. It is the least used in the network since it is the only one with no connecting bus route.
The station, designed by architect Pierre-W. Major, is a normal side platform station, and has one access. The huge underground volume of the station mezzanine is lighted by a single, round skylight, and is decorated with a sculpture.
This metro station and the boulevard with the same name are named after Georges-Philias Vanier, Major-General in the First World War and Canada's ambassador to all Allied governments during the Second World War. He was the 19th Governor General of Canada, the first French Canadian to hold this position, from 1959 until his death. (Georges-Vanier Wikipedia)
“Rooted” on the platform, this artwork in the form of a tree brings the surrounding green space into the station. In addition to its decorative value, the sculpture is functional, containing lighting and helping to support the roof.
BONAVENTURE
Bonaventure station is located in the borough of Ville-Marie and serves the Orange Line. This station opened on February 13, 1967 and is equipped with the MétroVision information screens, which display news, commercials, and the time until the next train.
Designed by Victor Prus, the station is a normal side platform station. As a key part of the underground city, the mezzanine is large and has ticket barriers on either side to allow pedestrians to pass from one end of the station to the other side. But only the walkways above the tracks below the mezzanine allow passengers to move from platform to platform, although elevators were added between the mezzanine and the platforms in November 2009.
Whether it is the Place, the hotel or the Bonaventure metro station, all are named after St. Bonaventure, a 13th century Italian philosopher and mystic. (Bonaventure Wikipedia)
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