The metro system in Montreal was definitely an eye-opener. Compared to NYC's metro system, Montreal's was heaven. The area was spot on clean and spacious, plus everything was put in an orderly fashion. There were stairs and escalators and panel doors that you just need to push to go through (no need to pull which is great for those that carry a shitload of stuff).
The fares for the STM was fairly priced also. A 3-day unlimited was only $16, which is a great deal for tourists. They also have a 747 express bus that takes you from the station to the airport and vice versa for only $8.
The platforms on the station are a lot wider and the lights are bright enough to see a person on the other end of the platform. The metro are a lot smaller, seatings are limited but overall can fit about the same about of people as does the NYC's subway does. The metro also runs a lot faster and doesn't have any signal or "sorry for the delay, there's a train directly in front of us" problems. Plus, the metro runs on rubber tracks not steel or concrete tracks.
There are only 4 tracks and they're differentiated by color. The signs are also big enough for you to see with a coordinated color as the background. Montreal's STM is quite convenient and a lot better if you've used the NYC MTA before.