Cost of STM bus depot balloons to over $500M, more than double initial estimate

A long-awaited bus depot for Montreal's transit authority is now estimated to cost about $584 million, more than double its initial estimate.

Announced in 2017 by then Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, the Bellechasse project was initially slated to cost $254 million, about 40 per cent of the current price tag.

According to the city and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), unforeseen problems, inflation and project redesigns have played a role, causing the costs to balloon. 

In 2020, the project changed significantly in response to concerns from residents in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough. The idea of an above-ground garage was scrapped in favour of a three-storey, underground facility, capable of serving about 200 buses.

The soil on the site was also found to be more unstable than previously thought, leading to delays.

Marie-Claude Léonard, the general director of the STM, said valuable lessons were learned throughout the project, acknowledging that they moved "quickly" from concept to concept.

Opposition blames promises

However, the official opposition at Montreal City Hall is laying the blame with Projet Montréal's 2017 election promise to rapidly increase the bus fleet.

Christine Black, the transportation critic for Ensemble Montréal, said the administration promised 300 additional buses for the fleet without studying the impact the increase would have.

"In this context, we see that the promises, the orders, were made in a very political way and without studies — or in any case, with studies done very quickly," Black said. "Today, unfortunately, we are suffering the consequences."

Léonard, who took over the head office of the STM a few months ago, disagreed with the characterization. "I didn't feel that pressure," she said. 

"When you start a project, you always want to respect the costs and schedule, so that at the end you have a [garage] at the right price in the right context."

Léonard insists the facility is sorely needed, pointing to 2018-2019, when "the buses were running at maximum capacity."

Montreal city council will have to approve the $214 million in additional funding to complete the project.