Blue Line Extension | Even More Expensive and Even Further Late

Don’t buy your ticket for the blue line to Anjou right away: the Montreal metro extension project will be longer and more expensive than expected, costing nearly $8 billion, according to a document recently submitted to Quebec. The latter also predicts at least another year of delay.

The Press learned from several sources that the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) had recently informed the Council of Ministers that the objective of completing the project in 2030 for $6.4 billion no longer holds. It will now cost at least $7.6 billion and its delivery will not take place before 2031, at best. The date was 2026 at the start of the pandemic, then 2029 in recent years, and 2030 since September.

“The business case for the extension of the blue line must be officially authorized by the Council of Ministers. This decision is expected for the summer of 2024,” indicated the STM, without wanting to confirm whether the current schedule and budget were still valid.

However, according to our information, negotiations have just ended between Ottawa and Quebec to determine who will pay what under this new cost overrun. The two governments have apparently agreed to increase their funding on both sides.

A source said Thursday that the process had accelerated in recent days and that an announcement was expected within a few weeks on this subject. The changes will therefore have to be adopted soon by the STM board of directors.

Savings of approximately $1.1 billion had been generated two years ago by the STM project office, after the government expressed concerns about the financial structure. According to what was put forward at the time, building the Anjou station under Highway 25 and not to the west, as was initially planned, would minimize expropriations and reduce the bill.

The office of Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault indicated that Quebec “has made sure to seek additional funding from Ottawa while inflation, in particular, is increasing the costs of infrastructure projects around the world.” “Montrealers will see the construction site get moving in the coming weeks,” they were assured.

The office of the federal Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, says it is working “actively with Quebec to finalize the financing of this project.”

“The Government of Canada’s commitment to strengthening public transit and active transportation across the country is stronger than ever,” says its press secretary, Laura Scaffidi.

“Obviously the delays had an impact on the financial plan. This demonstrates the importance of accelerating the development of our major projects,” responded Marikym Gaudreault, on behalf of Valérie Plante’s office.

On the other hand, “the extension of the blue line is well underway, it’s excellent news. After years of waiting, Montrealers in the East End of Montreal can now say: it’s done,” she adds.

Deadline imminent

It must be said that time is running out on this issue: the STM must sign the largest contract of the project, its “backbone”, before July 30. The mandate consists of drilling the tunnel and excavating certain stations.

The process of awarding this ambitious contract began more than two years ago. Interested bidders had until 1^er last February to submit their bid, which was to remain valid for 180 days, hence the July deadline.

The STM declined to reveal the outcome of this call for tenders. “The tendering process is continuing and the project office will make an announcement to this effect once this process is completed,” the organization indicated.

The Press has already reported that only the Mobilité Bleu Horizon consortium, led by the companies Pomerleau and EBC, was still in the running. Aware of this state of affairs, the contractors had requested significant changes in the upcoming contract, failing which they could walk away. The STM had accepted some of their requests.

Nearly six months after submitting their bid, everything indicates that Pomerleau has no doubts about winning the contract. The company even recently published a job offer announcing that the successful candidate would play “a key role in supporting the Blue Line project teams in their tasks.” The company quickly withdrew the job offer after Pomerleau requested an interview. The Press on this subject.

“Projects of this magnitude require the mobilization of a large number of resources in a short time frame, and it is quite natural to start recruiting quickly. This industry practice allows manufacturers to be operational as quickly as possible if contracts are awarded,” said a company spokesperson, Jean-Philippe Lepage.

Disappointment for users

At Trajectoire Québec, which represents the interests of public transit users, director Sarah V. Doyon deplores the new delays in sight. “We’ve been waiting for this line for so long, so it’s definitely disappointing to know that it’s going to be longer than anticipated. That said, I can’t say it’s surprising,” she notes in an interview.

She hopes that the arrival of the government’s transport agency, which is supposed to reduce delays and costs, will make a lasting difference from next autumn.

Since its introduction in May, the bill creating Mobilité Infra Québec has raised concerns. “We are concerned about the creation of a new structure that will cannibalize the expertise already present in the public sectors,” the STM had argued.

“What we are going to give as powers to this agency, we should also give to the transport companies that build projects, like the STM. Then, perhaps we would reduce the delays,” concludes M.^me Doyon.