The route of the public transport project in the east of Montreal will not initially offer a direct link with the city center, unlike the route proposed by the Caisse de dépôt with its REM de l’Est, now abandoned. .
The information – known since last November – was reconfirmed on Tuesday noon by the Minister responsible for the Metropolis, Pierre Fitzgibbon, who delivered a speech before the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce, at the Anjou golf club.
“You have to take small steps to be successful. It is clear that a link to the city center eventually will have to be there. It was agreed that, for preliminary study currently, we will go there with a route that will start from one of the stations of the green line, “said the Minister during an exchange with the CEO of the Chamber of East, Jean-Denis Charest.
It is only once the green line has reached its maximum capacity that the link to the city center will merit consideration.
The Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) submitted its report to the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, said Pierre Fitzgibbon in a press briefing following the event. She is analyzing it.
In the past, it has been said that the ARTM should present its final report in June.
“In the initial project, the link to the city center is not being studied,” added Minister Fitzgibbon to journalists. There is no doubt that eventually, we will have to consider it. We’re going to maximize the use of the green line for a while. Will it be 8, 10, 12 years? We don’t know yet. You have to start by announcing something, a route. »
Wanting to see the glass half full, the boss of the Eastern Chamber was delighted to see that the Quebec government continues to believe in the importance of the direct link to the city center in the long term.
“The question will be how fast are we going to study it? said Jean-Denis Charest when asked for his reaction to the minister’s position. There is no doubt that has been expressed that we will go ahead with a REM from the East. The Minister also agrees that this project must be strongly confirmed in order to be able to release the investments. »