Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante and Quebec Prime Minister Francois Lego have announced that the REM de l’Est light rail will be very different from the one originally planned.
Dissatisfaction with the REM de l’Est project, proposed by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, prompted the two government leaders to announce that the part of the line that was supposed to pass through central Montreal above ground would be abandoned due to lack of of social acceptability.
Instead, the eastern part of REM will be developed only on the sites that already have widespread public support, and the city of Montreal and the province will take over the project.
“From day one, our goal is to achieve the best possible public transport project in the eastern Greater Montreal area,” Lego said in a press release Monday. “The project has evolved over time and must continue to evolve. We are making the necessary adjustments to fulfill our commitment to build REM de l’Est. “
In this way, REM de l’Est will be connected to the metro, a solution which means that the project no longer fits into the financial structure of the subsidiary of Caisse CDPQ Infra.
Therefore, the management of the project will be entrusted to a team composed of the Quebec Ministry of Transport, the City of Montreal and the Société de transport in cooperation with the ARTM (Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain).
Community groups and citizens have expressed concern about how the railroad will change downtown Montreal and landmarks such as the vaulted entrance to Chinatown.
In February, ARTM released a report claiming the line would not cost $ 10 billion based on eastern passengers’ habits.
“We are taking the necessary steps to carry out REM de l’Est in an exemplary manner, as requested by citizens and experts,” Plante said. “The guidelines agreed by the City of Montreal and the Government of Quebec will allow Eastern REM to offer a structured transport link to underserved sectors, while benefiting from the existing network.
The CDPQ said in a statement Monday that it would seek reimbursement from the government for “detailed technical studies” it conducted for the project under the terms of their agreement.
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