A Bombardier Transportation–Alstom consortium has signed an agreement to supply 153 additional Azur subway cars to the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) for $340 million.

The agreement expands on an October 2010 order for 468 rail cars. Most of the manufacturing and the final assembly of the additional vehicles will occur at the Bombardier plant in La Pocatiere, Quebec, where the manufacturing of the original order is being completed, Bombardier and Alstom officials said in a press release.

The new units will feature an open gangway design to enable riders to walk from one end of the train to the other. The new cars also will have wider doors, an improved ventilation system, an electronic passenger information system and onboard cameras.

Each Azur trainset can accommodate 8 percent more passengers than STM’s existing fleet.

In May, Quebec’s government leaders adopted special legislation to allow for the purchase of more Azur cars.