AZUR not for short people: New Metro car receives mixed reviews from commuters

AZUR, the Montreal Metro system'snewest train, is turning heads in stations, but commuters are writing and calling in to the transit corporation with their thoughts and complaints.

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Montreal's transit corporation, theSTM, received more than 50 comments from passengersin theAZUR'sfirst two months in service, and more than half say they have major complaints.

CBC obtained the comments through an access to informationrequest.

More than half of the complaints concern the positioning ofthe horizontal grabbars installed on the roof of the train.

"The support bars are inaccessiblebecause they are too high," one commuter wrote in.

"I am 5 foot 10 and I can just reach it."

Bars too high, too close to seats for comfort

Charlotte Lacoursire has only managed to catch the AZUR twice since it went into service.

She says it definitely got commuters excited when they realized which train they were taking, but the AZUR provided a less thanperfect commute.

"I didn't think it was going to be that way. I think that the distance between the [horizontal] bar and the seats is way too tight," she said.

"It's uncomfortable."

Ventilation too strong

One-third of thecomplaints that came in to the STM had to do with the ventilation of the train.

"The ventilation system in the train pushes the air directly in the faces of users facing forward," one commuter wrote in.

Another warned the STM to have ambulances ready to go at each station in the summer, because the heat would cause a lot of problems.

People with reduced mobility forgotten

For Nicole Teed, the biggest issue with the new train is the way the poles both horizontal and vertical are spaced out.

"The problem is that [for]someone who has reduced mobility, there is too much space from a handle to the door without any other bars to hold onto," she said.

Another commuter who emailed the STM saidthe lack of seats is also a problem.

"I am very disappointed to learn there are [fewer]seats on the new AZUR trains because you haven't thought of any other people with reduced mobility besides those using wheelchairs. It's insulting," that commuter wrote.

Font too small

"The map inside the train is written in small font, and it's not easy at all to consult," one user called in to complain.

The maps are placed by the doors of the metro with an electronic board above, stating which buses are available at the next station and the current time.

"Even sitting right in front of it, I had trouble reading the station names," one commuter wrote in.

Consultations taken into account, STM says

The STM refused the CBC's interview request.

In an email,STM spokeswomanAmlie Rgis wrote that the transit corporation held consultations with users between 2007 and 2012about the newAZURtrains.

"More than 500 clients gave their opinions [about the full-scale model] and 93 per cent were positive about the general concept," Rgis said.

Rgis said90 per cent agreed with the interior design, and 88 per cent liked the exterior appearance.

RAW: Take a tour aboard the STM's new Azur Metro cars

9 years ago

Duration 1:43

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and other political leaders got to check out the new STM Metro cars rolling on the tracks.