By taking the reins of the REM de l’Est, with the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal has “saved the project,” said the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante.
Posted at 3:32 p.m.
“We did not abandon the project, we saved the project. Because in its initial form, the project was going into a wall, ”launched the mayor, Thursday, speaking before the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM).
Mme Plante was questioned by Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the CCMM, who was skeptical and wondered if the project would really see the light of day, or if we had just “thrown the baby out with the bathwater “.
“The REM as it was proposed did not do the trick. We gave it to a new group and asked them to make a new proposal. If I do a survey, there is no one who believes it will happen quickly, “said Mr. Leblanc, recalling the saga of the Pie-IX Bus Rapid Service (SRB), which is still not in operation. , after several years of delay.
“I am convinced that this project will be done. It has been modified, transformed, but you are right to say that we have to deliver, ”answered Valérie Plante, admitting that there will be strong pressure for the project to progress quickly.
Now that the CDPQ Infra has withdrawn from the project, the Eastern REM is piloted by the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the Autorité régionale de transport de Montréal ( ARTM) and the City of Montreal.
The mayor recalled that this quartet had succeeded in obtaining the necessary funding for the extension of the blue line: the budget of 6 billion for this project was confirmed in March.