Metro, tram, REM… The government plans to include all types of public transport in its tunnel project between Quebec and Lévis, insists the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
The “beauty” of the new version of the project is “that we will not be limited” to buses in terms of public transport, indicated the minister during the study of the budgetary appropriations of her department on Tuesday.
“We have a virgin tunnel at the moment and we can put whatever we want in it, unlike the twin tube where we could only put buses,” said Ms. Guilbault.
“Everything that exists in the coming decades is theoretically possible,” also mentioned the MNA for Louis-Hébert, after recalling the time of her youth when these possibilities were limited to paper transfers in the buses of the capital.
However, there is no question of providing an estimate of what the new project could cost.
During discussions at the Salon bleu, Québec Solidaire MP Étienne Grandmont said he was “a little surprised” that Ms. Guilbault and the Prime Minister made the decision to bet on a single mode, during their meeting on April 5. , “without information as to the cost”.
The MP said he was all the more surprised by this since Premier François Legault often likes to remind people that he is an accountant and “likes numbers”.
The minister, however, admitted knowing the estimated costs of the new project which appear in a study by the ministry but have been redacted.
“For major projects, normally, we give the costs when we present the business case to the Council of Ministers,” defended Ms. Guilbault.
“Redacting costs is not to hide, it’s not a conspiracy, it’s not shenanigans,” she said. “That’s because it wouldn’t be responsible at this point. […] This has an influence on calls for tenders”.
More details will follow.