ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY CDPQ INFRA
The Eastern REM project, as proposed by CDPQ Infra
It was written in the sky that the Eastern REM, in its latest version, was doomed.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
A bill of more than six billion dollars for an aerial structure that was going to disfigure the downtown area of the metropolis, without the mayor of Montreal having a say in it, was unacceptable. We were heading towards “a historical error”, said Valérie Plante. She wasn’t the only one to think so.
The Legault government made the right decision by handing over the keys to the project to the bodies that should have planned it from the start, and who have the expertise to do so: the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the City and the Ministry of Transport.
Exit, therefore, CDPQ Infra, for whom a REM in the East amputated by a section is no longer profitable.
Because, it should be remembered, the subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt was not planning a public transport project, but an investment model.
Mme Plante also convinced Mr. Legault to connect the REM to the green line. The metro will be able to absorb additional users, we are assured.
At this point, one wonders if the choice of the REM – an automated light rail – as a mode of transport for this portion of the City remains relevant. It will be up to the new committee to demonstrate this to us. We understand that the government paid for all the work done by CDPQ Infra, but we have to explain why this technology is the best solution, especially since we are preparing to study routes to Laval and Lanaudière. And that Prime Minister Legault mentioned a REM for the South Shore.
The new committee, which will not lack work, will also have to review the proposed route for the East. Is it optimal? Can we add a section to Rivière-des-Prairies? Is the raised part unavoidable? We eagerly await explanations.
As for the ARTM and the STM, which publicly protested against the governance of the initial REM, they must demonstrate that they are capable of carrying out a major project within a reasonable timeframe.
Remember that the rapid bus system (SRB) project on Pie-IX Boulevard, which should link Laval to Notre-Dame Street, is still not in operation 23 years after it was announced! As for the blue line, promised for more than 30 years, it is still included in the planning chapter of the Quebec Infrastructure Plan 2022-2032…
It will of course be necessary to specify the new method of financing the REM. In the initial project, the Caisse advanced billions, but demanded a royalty of 8% over 100 years. For the new version, which becomes a public transport project, therefore without obligation of profitability, Mayor Plante mentioned the possibility of capturing the land value added generated by the development of REM stations. This is an avenue to be considered by the committee, which will have to explore all the options available to it so that this new REM does not become a bottomless money pit.
Finally, this political victory of Mayor Plante, because it is one, must not become a defeat for the east end of Montreal. We understand the disappointment of all these stakeholders who have been waiting for a structuring project for a long time.
They are presented with an idea, proposed by the professor of urban planning at the University of Montreal, Gérard Beaudet: the setting up of a think tank that would work in parallel to develop a very precise game plan for the east of Montreal: densification of housing, development hubs, green spaces… These two visions – transportation and urban planning – must evolve in parallel.
We’re offering a second chance east of Montreal. You shouldn’t miss it.