Via TGF CEO Martin Imbleau said the speed of the train that will run on 1,000 km of track will be known. He is also convinced that a Conservative government and the departure of Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez will not derail the project, which is well underway, according to him.
“The project is necessary. I am confident,” he said during an interview with Noovo Info on Thursday.
Three consortia have submitted proposals for the Toronto-Quebec train project this summer. Mr. Imbleau says that by the end of the year, “we will announce who we are doing this project with and what the ambition of this project is.” “Are we going to do a fast or very fast train?”
Mr. Imbleau is not afraid that Mr. Poilievre will put a spoke in the wheels of this project and maintains that it will benefit all Canadians.
“It’s not a one-man project. It’s an investment and we generate an economic benefit,” said the CEO of Via TGF.
How much will that cost?
In August 2022, the federal government was talking about a cost of $12 billion for the project. But today, out of caution or to avoid controversy, the boss of Via TGF does not want to give an estimate.
“The reason we fail in big projects is that we give numbers and a timetable before we do our homework,” he explained. “When I’ve done my homework with numbers, we’ll announce where we’re going.”
The high-frequency train will pass through Quebec City, but also through the Ontario and Quebec cities of Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal and Trois-Rivières. It will be built in sections.
Will Quebec be the last section built? It is too early to say, replies Mr. Imbleau, who wants to reassure Quebecers worried about having to pay too much for this project.
“Quebecers will like what we are developing,” he concluded.
See Mathieu Boivin’s report in the video.
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