On November 3, 1961, Montreal City Council approved an initial Metro network in length. The main line, or Line 1 (Green Line) was to pass between the two most important arteries,
Saint Catherine and
Sherbrooke streets, more or less under the
De Maisonneuve Boulevard. It would extend between the English-speaking west at
Atwater station and French-speaking east at . Construction of the first two lines began May 23, 1962, under the supervision of the Director of Public Works, Lucien L'Allier. On August 6, 1963, it was agreed that the under construction line would be extended to
Square-Victoria and
Bonaventure stations, after construction costs for tunnels were lower than expected. The first stations, found on the section between
Atwater and
Papineau, opened on October 14, 1966. Several smaller sections were delayed by several months. On December 19, 1966, the line was further extended from Papineau to
Frontenac, and two days later came the stopover
Beaudry between
Berri–UQAM and Papineau. On December 20, 1967,
Frédéric Back completed his art piece '' L'histoire de la musique à Montréal
(The history of music in Montreal'') in
Place-des-Arts station. This commissioned piece was the first artwork completed in the Metro system. The construction of the second phase began in 1971, when Montreal was awarded the bid to host the
1976 Summer Olympics. The goal was to have the ability to transport visitors from downtown to the
Olympic Park in the east end. The opening of the section between Frontenac and
Honoré-Beaugrand took place on June 6, 1976, , ten stations on the line are accessible, including both interchange stations at Berri-UQAM and Lionel-Groulx. == Service ==