Art & Architecture

Despite its modest appearance from the outside, the great height of the walls and the vaulted ceilings of this exceptionally deep station lend it the appearance of a towering ancient monument or an austere modern cathedral.

The soaring walls, vaulted ceilings, great arches, and massive, plain-lined forms loom over the passenger, while the volume permits a direct line of sight nearly seven storeys down through a central light shaft from the entrance down to the ticket hall. The brown brick walls provide a feeling of warmth and link the upper spaces to the plain platform level.

The station consists essentially of a deep rectangular volume excavated at the eastern end of a trainroom built in tunnel. The nondescript headhouse stands atop this volume. From there, a flight of stairs and escalators descends to a first landing with low, vaulted ceilings, featuring a concession.

The next flight of stairs confronts passengers with the full monumental scale of the volume, as they enter the towering space above the second landing. Along their way, they pass under the first of a row of massive arches that support the headhouse.

A third flight of stairs reaches the ticket hall level, equally monumental in scale. The architecture on this level also reveals an angular central core, containing technical facilities, that connects with the different levels of the volume.

From the fare-paid zone, short staircases connect to the eastern end of the platforms. While the trainroom lacks the grandeur of the upper levels, its plain decor is visually connected with theirs, through the use of the same brown bricks on the walls.

In the mid-1990s, the construction of the Molson (now Bell) Centre and the Windsor commuter train terminus (now Gare Lucien-L’Allier) led this previously underused station to drastically change its vocation. As a result, it underwent several modifications. An enclosed, above-ground pedestrian walkway between the station’s headhouse and the new complex was built along the train tracks over Rue de la Montagne. The walkway is largely in glass and metal, and looks out onto the train station’s platforms.

The passageway was connected to the headhouse via a bridge running through the top of the light shaft. Unfortunately, this has reduced the visibility of the metro station’s artwork, a sculptural grille by Jean-Jacques Besner which conceals a ventilation opening. It can still be seen from below, in the station’s volume, and through internal windows in the headhouse.

Other modifications concerned the fire safety requirements of the anticipated surge loads produced by the commuter train and especially following matches and other events at the arena.

Fortuitously, the station’s original design had included space at the far end of the platform to give the option for a second access to be built. The fire safety renovations used this space to construct a bridge and emergency exit. It runs below the Ville-Marie Autoroute and the train tracks and exits onto Rue Saint-Antoine.

A glass screen was also built dividing the station volume from the platforms, to prevent the propagation of smoke.

The commuter train station hosts no fewer than four open-air island platforms serving eight tracks, partially sited on viaducts over Rue de la Montagne and Rue Lucien-L’Allier; the longest platform is over 340 metres long. The platforms were completely rebuilt in 2024, with the addition of long wood and glass canopies supported on white Y-shaped pillars.

However, the station house itself is a relatively small and fairly cramped and cluttered waiting area stuck on the west side of the Bell Centre.

Formerly, a spacious forecourt welcomed passengers and advertised the station’s presence. However, a condominium tower has since been built on it, leaving the main entrance obscured underneath an overhang. A second entrance, on Rue Saint-Antoine, reaches the station via a steep, narrow staircase. The waiting area also connects to a passage leading to the entrances to the arena and to the underground city to the east.

In 2023, a graffiti-style mural by Cam Harapiak was added to the walkway between the metro and commuter train station, to commemorate the Montreal Canadiens near their home ice at the Bell Centre. The 42-metre-long, seven-section mural features the team colours, its logo, and the names of its most famous players.