Underground acupuncture

by Philip Preville

Last Saturday's manhole explosion, which knocked out metro service for over six hours, produced some impressive domino effects. Though the explosion occurred at St-Joseph and St-Denis, the shock of the blast travelled through the wires and reached as far as downtown.

"There were electrical components at our control centre that shorted out as a result of the explosion," says MUCTC spokesperson Odile Paradis. "And yet, our control centre is located downtown."

Paradis would not say exactly where the control centre is located, mind you: its location is kept secret as a security measure.

Does the blast leave the MUCTC concerned about protecting its high-security nerve centre? "Not at all," says Paradis. "The metro runs on electricity, and we rely on electricity to monitor all activity. The fire may have shut down the metro's trains, but it didn't shut down the control centre." Hydro-Québec is investigating the cause of the fire. :

more news...