The City
of Montreal is the second largest municipality in Canada, with a population of
about 1.9 million people. The transit system,
formerly called the STCUM but now named the STM, has the second largest bus
fleet in Canada, after the Toronto Transit Commission. The STM operates a fleet of 759 Metro cars
and about 1700 buses, mostly NovaBus LFS transit, hybrid and articulated buses. The STM also operates the Métro subway
system, one of only four public transit systems in the Americas to run a
rubber-tired subway. The STM is the
largest of the AMT transit systems, the agency providing transit service
throughout the Greater Montreal Region.
All photos are by the webmaster.
Le Métro de Montréal
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The Metro running on the Green Line, pulling into Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. The metro uses three-car units usually hooked together in groups of two or three: On the Green and Orange Lines, three units are used, making a nine-car-long train; while on the Yellow and Blue Lines, only two units are used, making a six-car train. In low-demand periods such as weekends or during the summer, the Blue Line often uses only one three-car unit per train. |
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The Metro is just pulling into Angrignon Station after entering service on June 6, 2003. This train is made up of MR-63 cars, built by Canadian Vickers in the 1960s and later completely refurbished. These trains have been in operation since 1966 and are used primarily on the Green and Yellow Lines. |
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This MR-63 train was spotted running on the Yellow Line, arriving at Berri-UQAM Station on August 3, 2009. Though not clear in this photo, the headsign still reads “Berri-de Montigny”, the original name of the Metro’s largest station which was changed to Berri-UQAM back in 1989. |
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This train is shown running on the Green Line, pulling out of Berri-UQAM Station on August 3, 2009. Because of Montreal’s severe winter climate, the Metro has no above ground sections, even when crossing the mile-wide St. Lawrence River. This photo clearly shows the rubber tires used in the Montreal Metro; the trains are equipped with hidden steel wheels to support the trains in case of tire failure. |
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A Green Line train is shown just leaving Guy-Concordia Station on August 3, 2009. As with other Green Line trains, it is made up of MR-63 cars. The MR-63 cars are expected to be retired starting in 2014 as the new MDM-10 subway trains enter service, and should all be gone by 2017, providing fifty years of service in Montreal. |
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The Metro running on the Yellow Line is seen at Berri-UQAM Station on Dec. 27, 2001. This train is made up of MR-73 cars built by Bombardier, which entered service in 1976 and now used mostly on the Orange and Blue Lines, though at the time this photo was taken they were also used on the Yellow Line. |
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This MR-73 train is shown operating on the Orange Line at Bonaventure Station on August 3, 2009. |
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A Blue Line train is seen pulling into Snowdon Station in this photo taken on August 3, 2009. |
General Motors T6H-5307N
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24-110 was a 1982 New Look, seen on boul. René-Lévesque on May 22, 2002. All the New Looks have now been retired in Montreal, with the last one running in December 2002. Note the double-width folding exit doors on this bus; not very many transit systems ordered their New Looks with this configuration. Other systems with this option included Boston’s MBTA, the Edmonton Transit System, and the Hamilton Street Railway. |
GM/MCI/NovaBus TC-40102N
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54-049 was spotted at Viau Station by the Biodôme de Montréal on Dec. 27, 2001. This bus was one of 60 GM Classics purchased in 1984, and features padded seats and McKay gates at the exit doors, as specified on the 1983 and 1984 Classics ordered by the CTCUM. After the STCUM was formed in 1985, all later Classics were ordered with vinyl-lined fibreglass seats and step-operated exit doors. |
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55-050 was a 1985 GM Classic seen on rue de la Montagne near the Molson Centre on Dec. 27, 2001. Note the tinted standee windows on this bus; GM Classics purchased in 1985 and 1986 had this feature, while other buses had clear standee windows. |
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56-023 was a 1986 GM Classic spotted laying up at Angrignon Station. This photo was taken on June 6, 2003. All of Montreal’s GM Classics have been withdrawn from service. |
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59-050 was a 1989 MCI Classic, seen waiting to start another trip at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. These buses were the first Montreal Classics to feature rear windows and the last rollsign equipped buses in Montreal. This photo shows the bus equipped with a headsign with separate digits, which were installed in the early 2000s to allow the STM to realign routes without updating the rollsigns. The last 1989 Classics were retired in October 2008. |
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60-013 was a 1990 MCI Classic, spotted on rue St-Jacques in downtown Montreal on August 3, 2009. This bus was the only 1990 Classic in revenue service at the time as all the other 60 series Classics were withdrawn in October 2008. However, 60-013 remained in service until it was retired in September 2009. |
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60-014 was another 1990 Classic, shown boarding passengers at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. |
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60-017 was spotted at Angrignon Station on Dec. 27, 2001. This bus was also purchased in 1990. Montreal numbered its buses from series 13 in 1971, to series 25 in 1983, then the numbers jumped to series 53 in 1983, which climbed to 60 by 1990. |
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11-045 was a 1991 MCI Classic seen at Angrignon Station on Dec. 27, 2001. In 1991, the STCUM started numbering buses from series 11 again, which was now open after the retirement of the original 11 series buses (1971 Flyer D700A buses). The last MCI Classics were withdrawn from service in March 2011, leaving only the NovaBus Classic prototype 12-099 in service until September 2011, when it too was retired. |
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13-052 was a 1993 NovaBus Classic, spotted on rue Honoré-Beaugrand in eastern Montreal on August 6, 2007. |
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13-065 is shown on lay-up at Radisson Station with 17-151 in April 2001. This Nova Classic was purchased in 1993, while the LFS was purchased in 1997. |
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13-073 was another 1993 Nova Classic, seen at Guy-Concordia Station on Aug. 11, 2001. |
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13-076 is shown at Guy-Concordia Station in September 2000. |
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13-099 was seen boarding passengers at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. |
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14-045 was spotted waiting for riders at Côte-Vertu Station in Ville St-Laurent on August 3, 2009. |
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14-072 was a 1994 Nova Classic, shown stopped during driver training at the Fairview terminal in Pointe-Claire on April 21, 2003. |
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14-087 was another 1994 Nova Classic, shown at Guy-Concordia Station on Dec. 27, 2001. The circle on the front lit up when this bus is in service, letting riders know that the route is a special reserved-lane route. In this case, the bus was operating on route 165 Côte-des-Neiges. |
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14-089 was spotted waiting for riders at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. |
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14-094 is seen boarding passengers at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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14-108 was spotted on rue St-Urbain at Place d’Armes Station on September 2, 2005. |
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14-136 is shown boarding passengers at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. |
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14-178 was seen at Angrignon Station on Dec. 27, 2001. This bus was also a 1994 Nova Classic. |
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15-091 was a 1995 Nova Classic, seen on boul. René-Lévesque on May 22, 2002. |
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15-137 was another 1995 Classic, spotted on rue Mansfield in downtown Montreal on August 3, 2009. The STM retired the last of its NovaBus Classics in December 2011 except for 15-140, the last Classic received by the STCUM, which was still in service in January 2012. |
NovaBus LFS
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16-004 is a 1995 NovaBus LFS, spotted waiting for riders at Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. The prototypes and earliest production LFS buses had a small oval cutout on the front, as shown in this photo. Only the first forty buses delivered to the STCUM had this fascia. |
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16-004 was spotted again leaving Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. Montreal was the first transit system to purchase LFS buses and the first ten were delivered in 1995. However, the buses were numbered in the 16 series as the rest of the order for 180 vehicles was built and received in 1996, and also because the 15 series had been used by Nova Classic buses. |
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16-006 is another 1995 LFS, shown near Honoré-Beaugrand Metro Station on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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16-014 is 1996 Nova LFS, shown on the Ville-Marie Autoroute off ramp at rue St-Jacques on August 3, 2009. |
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16-106 is another 1996 LFS, spotted at Guy-Concordia Station in Sept. 2000. This bus was not part of the first order and does not have the cutout seen on the front of 16-004. |
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17-091 is a 1997 Nova LFS, shown at Guy-Concordia Station in Sept. 2000. |
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17-110 is another 1997 LFS, seen on boul. René-Lévesque on May 22, 2002. This bus has been marked with the new STM logos as seen under the driver’s side window. |
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18-032 at Guy-Concordia Station on Aug. 11, 2001. This bus is a 1998 Nova LFS. |
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21-268 is a 2001 Nova LFS, shown at the Fairview terminal in Pointe-Claire on April 21, 2003. These second-generation LFS buses can be distinguished by the rounded corners on the side windows and smaller windows on either side of the bus just behind the windshield. In addition, the back ends of the buses are mostly white and the rear route marker housing protrudes slightly rather than being flush with the rest of the end cap. |
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22-270 is a 2002 Nova LFS, spotted on rue Guy on August 3, 2009. |
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22-276 is another 2002 LFS, seen waiting to enter service at Angrignon Station on June 6, 2003. |
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22-305 was spotted at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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22-331 is a 2002 Nova LFS. This photo was taken at the Fairview terminal on April 21, 2003. |
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22-340 is waiting for passengers at the Fairview terminal on April 21, 2003. |
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22-360 is shown parked at Honoré-Beaugrand Station on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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24-224 is a 2004 NovaBus LFS, shown parked at Henri-Bourassa Station with 21-204 on Sept. 2, 2005. |
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24-236 is another 2004 LFS, shown stopped on boul. Henri-Bourassa on Sept. 2, 2005. |
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24-260 was spotted parked at Honoré-Beaugrand Station in eastern Montreal on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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24-300 is also shown laying up at Honoré-Beaugrand Metro Station on August 6, 2007. |
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25-208 is a 2005 NovaBus LFS, seen waiting to resume service at Honoré-Beaugrand Station on August 6, 2007. |
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25-236 is shown waiting to enter service on rue Guy in downtown Montreal on August 3, 2009. |
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25-239 was spotted on rue Guy on August 3, 2009. |
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26-007 is a 2006 NovaBus LFS, shown laying up at Terminus Fairview on August 4, 2008. |
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26-025 is shown on boul. des Trinitaires about to turn in Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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26-045 is another 2006 Nova LFS, spotted on rue Honoré-Beaugrand on August 6, 2007. |
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26-049 was seen entering the Fairview terminal on August 4, 2008. |
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26-053 is another 2006 LFS, shown near Honoré-Beaugrand Metro Station on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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26-056 is shown entering the bus terminal at Honoré-Beaugrand Station on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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26-056 was spotted again on rue Honoré-Beaugrand on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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27-023 is a 2007 Nova LFS, seen waiting for passengers on rue Berri near UQAM on Sept. 16, 2010. This bus is shown in a special wrap for a tourist route serving Old Montreal and the Old Port. |
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27-028 is another 2007 LFS, shown on rue Sherbrooke Est boarding passengers at Honoré-Beaugrand Station on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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27-028 was spotted again on rue du Havre at Frontenac Station later in the day on Aug. 6, 2007. |
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27-028 is shown on rue Berri near the Station Centrale bus terminal on Sept. 16, 2010. This bus is also wrapped in the Old Montreal colour scheme. |
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27-502 is seen at Angrignon Station on August 3, 2009. The 27-5xx buses are equipped with clean-diesel Cummins engines. |
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27-529 is shown at the Fairview terminal on August 4, 2008. |
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27-531 was spotted at Angrignon Station on August 3, 2009. |
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28-002 is a 2008 Nova LFS, seen at Guy-Concordia Station on February 2, 2008. |
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28-018 is another 2008 LFS, spotted on rue St-Jacques on August 3, 2009. |
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28-035 was spotted boarding riders at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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28-071 is seen on boul. Côte-Vertu, about to turn into the Metro station on August 3, 2009. |
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28-093 is shown boarding passengers at Côte-Vertu Station on August 3, 2009. |
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28-115 is seen unloading passengers at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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28-119 was spotted resting on rue Guy on August 3, 2009. |
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28-121 is shown laying up at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. |
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28-705 is a 2008 NovaBus LFS HEV, one of eight acquired that year by the STM, spotted at Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. Unlike the STO hybrid buses, these buses are equipped with the standard headlamps used on Quebec LFS buses. |
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28-708 is another LFS hybrid, shown at Angrignon Station on August 4, 2008. |
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29-013 is a 2009 Nova LFS, seen loading passengers at Guy-Concordia Station on August 3, 2009. This was the first year that the STM purchased buses with the wheelchair ramps at the front door, and the doors are much wider as a result. Also, the doors feature a 1/3-2/3 design, allowing the driver to open only the wider section for normal passenger boarding, or both sections for heavy volumes or to allow a wheelchair to board. These buses are also the first to be painted in the new blue and white livery, with much more blue at the front end of the bus and a large white area toward the rear to make room for the addition of the large decals which would be later added to the buses. |
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29-041 is another 2009 LFS, seen on rue Guy near Guy-Concordia Station on August 3, 2009. This bus has recently had yellow, green and blue chevrons applied to the rear section of the bus which, when combined with the new blue scheme ordered on the 2009 and later buses, completes the new “Mouvement Collectif” livery used by the STM. |
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29-063 is shown boarding riders at Guy-Concordia Station on August 3, 2009. |
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29-067 was spotted waiting to enter service on rue Guy on August 3, 2009. |
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29-078 is a 2009 third-generation NovaBus LFS, seen laying up at Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. This bus is also in the “Mouvement Collectif” colour scheme. |
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29-078 was spotted again waiting for riders at Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. In addition to the changes made to the earlier 2009 buses, these buses feature a heavily redesigned rear end cap with a full-width window and the radiator in a new housing on top of the bus. The front end has also been redesigned, with the headlamps spaced farther apart to make room for an optional bicycle rack. |
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29-112 is shown at Angrignon Station on July 17, 2009. Montreal was the first city to receive the 3rd-generation LFS buses. |
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29-143 is seen at waiting for riders at Angrignon Station on February 12, 2010. |
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29-151 is a 2009 Nova LFS, spotted turning from boul. de Maisonneuve to rue Berri on Sept. 16, 2010. This bus is in a special livery for an airport shuttle linking the Station Centrale bus terminal to Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Dorval, and these buses feature luggage racks at the front of the bus. |
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29-153 is another airport shuttle LFS, seen resting at the Station Central bus terminal on Sept. 16, 2010. As of July 2011, eight 2009 buses and eight 2011 buses are being used for the shuttle service, and the 2011 buses are equipped with air conditioning to test its practicality in Montreal, the first STM NovaBus vehicles to be air conditioned. |
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29-155 is shown waiting for riders at the Station Centrale bus terminal on Sept. 16, 2010. This photo clearly shows the special aeroplane chevron used on the airport shuttle buses, compared with the chevrons used on the regular buses such as 29-112. |
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30-040 is a 2010 LFS, seen operation as an airport shuttle on Sept. 16, 2010. Because the demand for the shuttle occasionally exceeds the capacity of the sixteen shuttle buses, regular LFS buses are sometimes used on the airport route. |
NovaBus LFS Artic
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29-839 is a 2009 NovaBus LFS Artic, shown picking up passengers at Henri-Bourassa Metro Station on February 12, 2010. The STM received the first articulated LFS buses delivered to any transit system, with the first bus entering service in September 2009. Other cities using the LFS Artic include New York, Quebec City and Halifax. |
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29-844 is another 2009 LFC Artic, spotted on boul. Henri-Bourassa on February 12, 2010. The STM has been placing large orders for these articulated buses, purchasing 58 in 2009 and 82 in 2010, along with a new order for 2011 buses. |
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29-844 was spotted again on boul. Henri-Bourassa near boul. Papineau on February 12, 2010. |
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29-850 is shown on boul. Henri-Bourassa at rue Berri on February 12, 2010. |
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29-853 is seen boarding passengers at Henri-Bourassa Station on February 12, 2010. |