The Legault government is committed to building a first tram line in Quebec, from the Le Gendre sector to Charlesbourg, according to the recommendations of the report tabled on Wednesday by the infrastructure subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ Infra).
The Prime Minister highlights the work of the experts behind the report which enabled a significant cost reduction compared to the old project
in particular by offering shorter tram trains, which makes it possible to reduce the size of certain infrastructures.
However, François Legault’s commitment stops at the first 19 kilometers of tramway, the cost of which was estimated at $5.3 billion per year. CDPQ Below.
All the rest of the CITÉ plan unveiled on Wednesday, a $15 billion project over 15 years, will have to be the subject of discussions with Quebec and Lévis. The project notably includes lines for rapid bus service (SRB) on Charest and Guillaume-Couture boulevards and 30 km of reserved lanes to direct public transport users from the outskirts to the tramway.
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The map of the plan called Integrated Express Transport Circuit (CITÉ) unveiled Wednesday by CDPQ Infra
Photo: Radio-Canada / Olivia Laperrière-Roy
A tunnel dedicated to the tramway between the city centers of Quebec and Lévis, which should be considered from 2035, is also not in the pipeline. the priorities
of the Legault government. We are not close to working on an inter-river link project for public transport
declared the Prime Minister in the same press briefing where he committed to building a new motorway bridge in the east.
No deadlines
Although CDPQ Infra believes that it is possible to deliver a tramway by 2030, provided it gets to work quickly; the Minister of Transport was not ready on Thursday to bring forward a commissioning date.
I want us to remain rational about the fact that these are not projects that we can deliver overnight. Today, we make a resolute commitment to deliver them
argues Geneviève Guilbault.
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Accompanied by three ministers from the region, Prime Minister François Legault gave the green light to the third motorway link project and the first phase of the tramway.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Jacques Boissinot
The minister also confirms the government’s interest in working with CDPQ Infra to carry out the project. I have often said that the Caisse has recognized expertise. […] Eventually, we will have an agency, Mobilité infra Québec, which could perhaps take over.
In a written reaction, the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, delighted that the government immediately confirms the implementation of the first phase of the CITÉ plan, in which [sont prévus] a tram, an SRB and an improved bus network to better serve all sectors of the city
.
Several other organizations in favor of the tram project also welcomed a historic day for public transportation
in the Quebec region.
