Snowdon (Montreal Metro)
Encyclopedia
Snowdon is a station
on the Montreal Metro
rapid transit system
, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal
(STM). It is located in the Snowdon neighbourhood
of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. It is a transfer station between the Orange Line
and Blue Line
, and is the western terminus of the Blue Line.
The station opened on September 7, 1981 with service on the orange line only, though the blue line platforms were built at the same time. At the time it was the western terminus of the Orange Line, taking over from Place-Saint-Henri
; it is thus the only station to have been the terminus of two different lines. Service on the Blue Line began on January 4, 1988.
, with three lateral tunnels containing two stories each, joined by four cross-tunnels; both lines therefore have stacked platforms. This layout was intended to allow rapid transfer between a future extension into Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and service to downtown; unfortunately, this service never opened, and the station's layout means that most people who transfer between the blue and orange lines must go down stairs.
The station's central access tunnel is connected at its western end to the station's single entrance, which is integrated into an STM control centre and contains a small sunken garden.
on the Côte-Vertu platform, spring
on Montmorency, summer
on the Saint-Michel departure platform, and autumn
on the Snowdon arrival platform.
Soon after the station opened the murals were victims of graffiti
that badly damaged the artwork. Attempts of removing the graffiti destroyed large sections of the paintings. In 2004 the murals were all removed for a restoration plan by the STM to have the artist repaint the murals and slowly have them reinstalled in the station. As of June 2010 all the murals have been repainted, and are partially reinstalled on all four platforms of the station with a protective sheet of glass to prevent any future vandalism.
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the Montreal Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
rapid transit system
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal
Société de transport de Montréal
The Société de transport de Montréal is a public transport agency that operates transit bus, and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
(STM). It is located in the Snowdon neighbourhood
Districts of Montreal
This is the list of the neighbourhoods in the city of Montreal. They are sorted by the borough they are located in.-Ahuntsic-Cartierville:* Ahuntsic* Nouveau-Bordeaux* Cartierville* Île de la Visitation* Sault-au-Récollet-Anjou:...
of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada-Geography:Located to the north and west of Mount Royal, it was part of the City of Montreal prior to the 2002 municipal mergers...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is a transfer station between the Orange Line
Line 2 Orange (Montreal Metro)
The Orange line is the longest, most congested, and first-planned of the four lines of the Montreal Metro, in Montreal, Canada. It formed part of the initial network, and was extended between 1980 and 1986...
and Blue Line
Line 5 Blue (Montreal Metro)
The Blue line is one of the four lines of the metro in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the fourth to be built, notwithstanding its name. Line 3 was planned, but never built...
, and is the western terminus of the Blue Line.
The station opened on September 7, 1981 with service on the orange line only, though the blue line platforms were built at the same time. At the time it was the western terminus of the Orange Line, taking over from Place-Saint-Henri
Place-Saint-Henri (Montreal Metro)
Place-Saint-Henri is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Saint-Henri area of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada ....
; it is thus the only station to have been the terminus of two different lines. Service on the Blue Line began on January 4, 1988.
Overview
The station was constructed as an anti-directional cross-platform interchangeCross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...
, with three lateral tunnels containing two stories each, joined by four cross-tunnels; both lines therefore have stacked platforms. This layout was intended to allow rapid transfer between a future extension into Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and service to downtown; unfortunately, this service never opened, and the station's layout means that most people who transfer between the blue and orange lines must go down stairs.
The station's central access tunnel is connected at its western end to the station's single entrance, which is integrated into an STM control centre and contains a small sunken garden.
Architecture and art
The station was designed by Jean-Louis Beaulieu, who also provided sculptural grilles for the station's main staircase and the rear of the control building. The station's main artwork, a group of four murals by Claude Guité running the full length of the platform and entitled Les quatre saisons (the four seasons). The murals are painted on 500 panels of asbestos cement stretching the entire length of the platforms, they portray semi-abstract scenes of the foliage and weather associated with each of the four seasons. The seasons go in order, counterclockwise around the platforms, with winterWinter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
on the Côte-Vertu platform, spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
on Montmorency, summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
on the Saint-Michel departure platform, and autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
on the Snowdon arrival platform.
Soon after the station opened the murals were victims of graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
that badly damaged the artwork. Attempts of removing the graffiti destroyed large sections of the paintings. In 2004 the murals were all removed for a restoration plan by the STM to have the artist repaint the murals and slowly have them reinstalled in the station. As of June 2010 all the murals have been repainted, and are partially reinstalled on all four platforms of the station with a protective sheet of glass to prevent any future vandalism.
Origin of the name
This station is named for the Snowdon neighbourhood. This area took its name from Snowdon Street, which in turn took its name from the owner of the farm on which it was built.Connecting bus routes
| Route | Service times | Map | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Société de transport de Montréal | |||
| 17 Décarie | All-day | Map | Schedule |
| 51 Boulevard Édouard-Montpetit 51 Boulevard Édouard-Montpetit The 51 Boulevard Édouard-Montpetit is a bus route in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . The route operates 7 days a week between the hours of 5 AM and 1:30 AM and is a wheelchair accessible route. It serves the boroughs of... |
All-day | Map | Schedule |
| 166 Queen Mary 166 Queen Mary The 166 Queen Mary is a bus route in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . The route operates from Monday to Friday days between the hours of 5 AM and 1 AM and on the week ends from 8 AM to 1 AM. It is a wheelchair accessible route... |
All-day | Map | Schedule |
| 371 Décarie | Overnight | Map | Schedule |
Nearby points of interest
- Décarie Autoroute
- Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-GrâceCôte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-GrâceCôte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada-Geography:Located to the north and west of Mount Royal, it was part of the City of Montreal prior to the 2002 municipal mergers...
borough hall - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Library
- Collège International Marie-de-France
- University of Montreal Geriatrics InstituteCentre hospitalier universitaire de MontréalThe Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal , or Université de Montréal's Hospital Center, is one of the two major hospital networks in Montreal, the other being the McGill University Health Centre...