We will have to wait several more months before having a more precise idea of the cost and schedules of the high-frequency train project between Quebec and Toronto, warns the president and CEO of VIA TGF, Martin Imbleau, who refuses to comment on the question.
Three consortia are due to submit their proposals this summer. VIA TGF, the VIA Rail subsidiary responsible for the project, will make its choice this fall. The 1,000-kilometer rail corridor is expected to connect seven cities, including Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
“Give yourself time”
Even in the fall, it would still be too early to comment on the project’s schedule or costs. “As soon as possible, but it will not happen this fall,” replied Mr. Imbleau in an interview on Tuesday, on the sidelines of a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM). What we are going to do this fall is choose the consortium and the level of engineering will never be advanced enough. »
Once the consortium is chosen, the project will enter a co-development phase which could last three to four years, he estimates. “So we’re really going to give ourselves time to move forward. It’s going to take a little while [avant de connaître l’échéancier et les coûts]. It won’t be in the first months of the co-development phase, that’s for sure,” specifies the manager who took the helm of VIA TGF in September after heading the Montreal Port Authority (APM).
During his speech, Mr. Imbleau was questioned by the president of the CCMM, Michel Leblanc, on the timelines and costs of the project. He didn’t want to come forward. He did the same during a press scrum with journalists.
Unanswered questions
Martin Imbleau did not flinch when the figure of 100 billion dollars was mentioned. He did not want to deviate from his intention not to give a fork. “Today, it would be imprudent as a representative of the state company, even though I don’t know it yet,” he defended himself in an interview. I won’t have any figures. »
A high-speed train (TGV) between Quebec and Toronto could cost up to $80 billion, according to Transport Canada estimates, which led the federal government to favor the TGF.
Several questions therefore remain unanswered. Will it be possible to enter downtown Montreal or will the station have to be located elsewhere? Could there be express connections between Montreal and Toronto without going through Ottawa?
The three consortia will have to present two scenarios: a basic scenario at 200 kilometers / hour and another to see if it would be possible to go faster on certain portions of the route.
“That now means a service at 200 km/h and proposals beyond that, without maximum limit,” declared the leader during his speech. As quickly as possible, in other words. »
Project execution will take place over several years. Governments of different political stripes will likely succeed one another in Ottawa during this period.
Questioned by Mr. Leblanc on this subject, Martin Imbleau said that he did not see the next elections as a determining moment for the project. “This is not my plan. The project will be carried out if it becomes a priority of the communities it serves. If it becomes a priority for the communities, whether we are blue, red, pale blue, orange, this project will come to fruition. »