Legault promises the tramway from Le Gendre to Charlesbourg “quickly”

François Legault promises the construction of the backbone of the Quebec tramway from Le Gendre to Charlesbourg, “rapidly”, but without a precise timetable, and does not make a clear commitment for serving the suburbs by SRB and express buses.

• Read also: Poilievre would not invest “not a cent” from the federal government in a tramway in Quebec

• Read also: Legault will board the tram and the 3rd link

“We are making a commitment today, the government, to work to realize this first phase of the tramway,” confirmed the Prime Minister of Quebec on Thursday in a well-attended press conference. The 19 km project which will serve the Le Gendre, Sainte-Foy, Saint-Roch and Charlesbourg sectors will cost $5.3 billion, according to CDPQi estimates.

Mr. Legault believes that the six-month break was “beneficial”, and said he was delighted that CDPQi’s CITY Plan proposes a project that is “technically different” and which presents a “significant cost reduction”. However, it should be noted that the Quebec City project also contained the bill for urban development, which CDPQi does not include in its costs.

Serving the suburbs

“We accept the route of the tram part today, we are moving forward,” insisted François Legault. On the other hand, as for serving the suburbs, which is very, very important for the rest of us, obviously, it will be discussed with the mayors of Quebec and Lévis,” said the Prime Minister, who said he was “open” to the other phases.

Thus, Bruno Marchand and Gilles Lehouillier will be met by the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, to discuss the express bus and SRB projects, which are also proposed by Caisse Infra. This in fact suggests 4.7 km of SRB on Charest, 20.8 km of SRB on Guillaume-Couture in Lévis, as well as 30.5 km of lanes dedicated to express buses. These additional components represent an additional $3.8 billion.

Guilbault “excited”

Minister Guilbault said she was “excited” “to deliver projects for Quebec”. She claims to be “enthusiastic” about the overall vision presented by the CITÉ Plan, but advises that we must remain “rational”. “These are not projects that can be delivered overnight.” However, she adds: “We don’t want to wait for the Agency [Mobilité Infra Québec], because we don’t want to waste time.” On this, she joins the PM who speaks of starting construction “rapidly” without committing to do it by 2025, as Mayor Marchand would like.

The tramway tunnel, between Quebec and Lévis, identified by CDPQi as relevant by 2035 if Lévis develops sufficiently, is “not in our priorities,” Mr. Legault said.

As for costs, the PM did not want to say whether the contribution from the Quebec government, which is approximately $2 billion, will increase. He is not worried about the position of Pierre Poilievre, who said Thursday that he would not put “a penny” into the tram. “We can do both,” assures Mr. Legault about the tramway and the third link. “I will work with the federal government, with the party that will be in power. And what I hope is that no matter which party is in power, we will be able to seek a contribution for both projects.”

What they said

“I welcome the fact that the government is moving forward and I hope that they can deliver the whole of phase 1 which includes rapid buses. Our big concern is that the conversion of the Dufferin-Montmorency highway can be done so that phase 4 of the Samuel-De Champlain promenade can be completed. »

-Claude Villeneuve, leader of Quebec First.

“We have a public transportation project endorsed by numerous studies and reports and which has the support of the majority of elected officials in Quebec City, its region, and even the province. I hope nothing more will delay it. »

-Jackie Smith, head of Transition Québec.

— With the collaboration of Taïeb Moalla