CDPQ Infra will offer a tramway to Charlesbourg | Quebec Tram

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is preparing to confirm the choice of the tramway as a mode of transport for the future structuring network of the National Capital. The original route of the project, which links the Legendre and Charlesbourg sectors, is also retained.

According to information obtained by Radio-Canada from sources familiar with the matter, the report CDPQ Infra is now in the hands of the Legault government and its conclusions are clear: the tram remains the best mode of transport to improve mobility in the capital.

In a major surprise, the Caisse is positioning itself in favor of a first phase which would connect the Legendre and Charlesbourg centers as imagined by Mayor Labeaume’s administration in 2018.

This option was, however, ruled out at the request of the Legault government in favor of better service to the east in 2021.

Gold, CDPQ Infra proposes to bring the tramway to D’Estimauville in a second phase, then to serve the Lebourgneuf sector in the third phase.

These recommendations were presented to the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus in the Capitale-Nationale during the day, Monday.

The mayors of Quebec and Lévis must obtain their own presentation on Tuesday.

Smaller vehicles

CDPQ Infra also recommends reducing the size of tram trains.

The Caisse sees this as an opportunity to reduce the costs of the project since smaller wagons would make it possible to reduce the size of the stations, but also that of the tunnel which should allow the tramway to connect Upper and Lower Town of Quebec.

Another envisaged benefit of reducing the size of vehicles, the concrete slab on which the tram must travel would be lower, which would attenuate the effect of barrier denounced by certain opponents along the route.

Smaller wagons would also facilitate the insertion of the tramway into the city by limiting its footprint, which could help save certain mature trees along the route.

The felling of trees is at the heart of the complaints of residents of the Montcalm sector who fear seeing the tramway reduce the canopy in their neighborhood.

The 3^e buried motorway link

According to our information, the Caisse’s experts looked at half a dozen corridors likely to accommodate a new inter-river motorway link before concluding that such infrastructure was not justified to improve mobility in the region.

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CDPQ Infra, however, sees the possibility of considering the passage of a rapid bus service (SRB) on Guillaume-Couture Boulevard, in Lévis, in order to improve the fluidity of travel between the Desjardins sector and the head of the bridges.

Likewise, the Caisse would welcome the idea of ​​an SRB possibly running on Charest Boulevard, in Quebec, in order to complete the route of the tramway which will run in Haute-Ville.

This proposal was also part of the initial project submitted by the Labeaume administration in 2018.

CDPQ Infra as prime contractor?

However, the question of how to complete the tram project has not been resolved.

CDPQ Infra would not close the door to managing the project, but the terms of a possible partnership with the government will have to be negotiated.

The new bill tabled by the Minister responsible for Infrastructure, Jonatan Julien, should also make it possible to relaunch a call for tenders for the tramway in collaborative modein order to better share risks with a possible consortium to build faster and at lower costs.

The City of Quebec believes it is capable of assuming control of the tramway site through its project office.

During his final plea to the government last November, Mayor Marchand assured that he could deliver the tram at a cost of $8.4 billion.

With information from Louise Boisvert