Inauguration of the New Tunnel Linking Vendôme Multimodal Station to the Glen Site
When the Glen site was first selected as a future site for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), its location was favoured over others because the Vendôme multimodal station offered such benefits. A first step to connect the station to our site was the opening of the current tunnel that crosses our parking lot. As users know, however, its stairs and slope present obstacles to those whose mobility is challenged. As such, the MUHC began in earnest to work with its partners on a second tunnel that would be user friendly, safe and also encourage people to access the site using public transportation. At the table with the MUHC and its stakeholders were representatives of the ministère des Transports du Québec, Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), and Exo.
The inauguration of this tunnel has been seven years in the making. Some might say this is just a tunnel, but it is really a gateway for patients and their families to our healthcare experts, facilities and services, not to mention for our own teams and service providers. The tunnel will open on May 31. Its hours of operation will be in line with the metro. Travelling to the Glen site via the metro, the Exo commuter train or one of the many buses stopping at the station just got easier!
“That this project was brought to fruition during a pandemic illustrates the extent to which all partners wanted to ensure a more direct, safe, accessible and environmentally-friendly connection,” noted MUHC President and Executive Director Dr. Pierre Gfeller. “In addition to recognizing those who laid the groundwork for this project, I’d like to tip my hat to Pierre-Marc Legris, MUHC Director of Technical Services, and his team. They worked tirelessly to make this opening possible while managing the major challenges associated with implementing in record time our internal COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures.”
“I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of my colleagues,” added Pierre-Marc Legris. “We’ve juggled a lot of responsibilities but we’ve never lost sight of our collective goals. I therefore believe that we should also be proud of the end result; the tunnel’s elevators alone will facilitate the lives of those using walking aids or wheelchairs.”
Maureen Kiely, Member of the MUHC Patients’ Committee, welcomed this addition: "The MUHC Patients’ Committee is celebrating the imminent opening of a handicapped-accessible entrance at Metro Vendôme. The opening of such an entrance ensures increasing autonomy for handicapped persons requiring medical care and is a major step forward towards creating a totally handicapped-accessible Montreal Metro. We wish to thank the STM personnel for their professionalism and for all their efforts to include the MUHC Patients’ Committee in their deliberations.”
Tunnel Information for Patients
The new tunnel, equipped with elevators, hand sanitizing stations and appropriate signage, provides immediate access as of May 31 to the Glen site’s facilities, including the current COVID-19 screening clinic located in the underground parking lot of the Glen site. Those coming to the Glen site for the vaccination clinic, located in the atrium of the Research Institute of the MUHC, however, should continue to use the first tunnel. Signage will be in place to indicate the route to follow. See map.