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MONTREAL — The head of Montreal’s public transit authority says she needs to find ways to deliver services at a lower cost, 10 days out from a second strike by maintenance workers that will drastically reduce services.
The second strike is scheduled to run between Sept. 22 and Oct. 5.
During that period, all overtime will be refused and there will be service interruptions outside rush hour — but only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — for a total of six days during the strike period.
Information on the departure times of the last trains will be provided at each station and will also be easily accessible on the agency’s website.
The second strike is expected be less disruptive to the public than a nine-day strike in June, when service was limited or stopped outside peak hours and late at night on some days.
But Montreal Transit Corp. CEO Marie-Claude Léonard says she advises people to work from home or change their work schedules if they can.
Otherwise, commuters should expect to be more crowded than usual on buses and the metro, in addition to having to allow more time for their trips.
Negotiations are ongoing but the issue of subcontracting and outsourcing remains at the heart of the dispute, in addition to wages.
“We don’t want to outsource for the sake of outsourcing,” Léonard said, but she adds there must be openness to new ways of doing things in order to reduce costs, given the financial difficulties of the transit company.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.
Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press
