Berri-UQAM (Montreal Metro)

Montreal Metro Station
Berri-UQAM Green Line platform Berri-UQAM Orange Line platform Berri-UQAM Yellow Line platform
Borough	Ville-Marie
City	Montreal
Opened	14 October 1966
Line	Green Line Orange Line Yellow Line
Architect	Longpré et Marchand Gaétan Pelletier (new kiosk built in 1999)
Artist	Pierre Gaboriau & Pierre Osterrath Robert LaPalme Georges Lauda Raoul Hunter Cécile Dion
Platform Depth	16.8 metres (Green Line) 10.7 metres (Orange Line) 27.4 metres (Yellow Line)
Rank	2nd deepest
Traffic	12,737,337 entrances in 2010
Rank	1st of 68 (excluding transfers)
Interstation Distance	Green Line: 336.80 metres to Saint-Laurent 378.36 metres to Beaudry Orange Line: 720.50 metres to Champ-de-Mars 579.10 metres to Sherbrooke Yellow Line: 2362.10 metres to Jean-Drapeau (longest distance in the system)
Address of Entrances	5 entrances: 1470, rue Saint-Denis 1500, rue Berri 1635, rue Berri 850, De Maisonneuve Ouest 505, rue Sainte-Catherine est
Nearby Main Intersections	rue Saint-Denis / boul. de Maisonneuve rue Berri / boul. de Maisonneuve boul. de Maisonneuve / rue Saint-Christophe rue Sainte-Catherine / rue Berri

Berri-UQAM is the central station of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). It is located in the Quartier Latin, in the borough of Ville-Marie, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The station opened on October 14, 1966, as part of the original network of the metro. It is the busiest station in the network, transfers not included. If transfers were included, the 12 million passengers number would rise to about 35-40 million a year.

Overview

Berri-UQAM station on the Green Line.

Crowded Berri-UQAM station during rush hour

Designed by Longpré and Marchand, the station serves three lines: the Green, Orange, and Yellow lines.

The main part of the station is a cruciform cut and cover volume built underneath the intersection of rue Berri and boul. de Maisonneuve; the volume is so large that the station's design had to include massive pillars to support the street.

This central volume contains three levels. The upper level contains the rectangular mezzanine at its centre, with fare barriers on all four sides; the arms extend out to the station's entrances, with two more entrances at the crossing, and are also lined with shops and services.

Staircases lead from the mezzanine to the landings on either side of the orange line. These landings provide views of the great volumes over the green line platforms below.

From the Green Line level, escalators and hallways connect the rest of the station to the Yellow Line terminus, built in tunnel a block away under rue Saint-Denis. Due to limited space in the tail tracks, trains reverse both in the tail tracks and in the foretracks leaving the station.

All three lines have side platforms. This station was the first to be equipped with the MétroVision information screens which displays news, commercials, and the time till the next train.

In 2009, the station was made partially wheelchair-accessible through the addition of elevators. Two elevators now connect the orange line platform to the mezzanine. The other two lines are not yet accessible. The mezzanine can be accessed from the street via elevators in the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec and UQAM's Pavillon Judith-Jasmin; however, these buildings are not open throughout the metro's opening hours, however there is an elevator access directly in the Saint-Denis exit that opened in June 2010.

Architecture and art

Stained glass artwork commemorating the founders of Montreal.

The station has a total of four independent exits: three integrated into buildings (the Berri, Saint-Denis, and Place Dupuis exits) and one free-standing kiosk (the Sainte-Catherine exit). The station also contains several underground city connections, listed below.

The work of five artists is exhibited in this station. The largest work is a stained-glass mural by Pierre Gaboriau and Pierre Osterrath entitled Hommage aux fondateurs de la ville de Montréal (homage to the founders of the city of Montreal). A gift of the Union régionale de Montréal des caisses populaires Desjardins and installed in 1969, it depicts Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière, Jeanne Mance, and Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It is located over the eastern portal of the Green Line tunnel.

Three paintings by Robert LaPalme are located over the main staircase leading to the Yellow Line terminus. Originally located at the entrance to Expo 67, they represent three themes of the Expo: science, recreation, and culture.

A plaque by LaPalme and Georges Lauda, commemorating the inauguration of the metro, is located at the centre of the mezzanine. It is enclosed in a black circular bench, a popular meeting site, referred to as la rondelle (the hockey puck) or la pilule (the pill) or "le banc des fous" (the crazy bench).

There is also a piece of work located in the new Sainte-Catherine entrance pavilion, by architect Gaétan Pelletier. The work is a statue of Mother Émilie Gamelin by Raoul Hunter, commemorating Place Émilie-Gamelin (also called Berri Square) in which the entrance is located. The statue is owned by the City of Montreal.

The most recent Art piece put in place inside the station would be the wall of Peace on concourse level of the yellow line. It is consisting of coloured metal plates bearing the word "peace" in multiple languages.

From August 2010 until fall 2012 the station is currently undergoing a 7 million dollars renovation plan that will change the appearance of the station, secure the tunnels and roofs of Berri-UQAM station. Other work being done includes mechanical, structural and architectural improvements, and is expected to cost an additional 90 million dollars.

History

The Berri-UQAM station was the site of the Metro's inauguration on October 14, 1966.

On September 2, 2001, a canister of tear gas was set off inside Berri-UQAM, forcing the evacuation of the 300 passengers inside.

Origin of the name

Berri-UQAM is named for both Rue Berri, so called since 1663 and named for landholder Simon Després dit Le Berry, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. (The University has taken to using UQAM as its abbreviation which it displays as UQÀM (with a grave accent over the a) as its logo; the metro station retains the UQAM form.)

The station was originally named Berri-de Montigny; rue de Montigny is the former name of boulevard de Maisonneuve in this area.

Small stubs of de Montigny street still survive, in downtown between St-Laurent and St-Urbain and in the suburb Montréal-Est.

Connecting bus routes

Société de transport de Montréal

Main articles: Société de transport de Montréal and List of Montreal Bus Routes

Société de transport de Montréal
Route	Service Times	Map	Schedule
15 Sainte-Catherine	All-day	Map	Schedule
30 St-Denis/St-Hubert	All-day	Map	Schedule
427 Express Saint-Joseph	Rush Hour	Map	Schedule
715 Old Port/Old Montreal	All-day	Map	Schedule
747 Montreal-Trudeau/Downtown	24 Hours Daily-Year Round	Map	Schedule
358 Sainte-Catherine	Overnight	Map	Schedule
361 Saint-Denis	Overnight	Map	Schedule

Other connecting bus routes

• See Gare d'autocars de Montréal

Nearby points of interest

Connected via the underground city

• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Gare d'autocars de Montréal
• Place Dupuis - Hôtel des Gouverneurs
• Grande Bibliothèque

Other

• Quartier Latin
• Cégep du Vieux Montréal
• Hôpital Saint-Luc du CHUM

• Cinémathèque québécoise
• National Film Board of Canada
• Place Émilie-Gamelin ("Berri Square")

• Théâtre Saint-Denis
• Cinéma du Quartier-Latin
• Service Canada
• Métropolis

External links

• Société de transport de Montréal - official web page of the station
• Berri-UQAM metro station geo location
• Montreal by Metro, metrodemontreal.com - photos, information, and trivia
• 2008 STM System Map
• 2008 Downtown System Map
• Metro Map