The pressure is still increasing on Ottawa in the file of the high frequency train (TGF). The mayor of Laval Stéphane Boyer, who met Tuesday with representatives of VIA Rail, is in turn in favor of a high-speed train (TGV) project, as long as it does not “disfigure neighborhoods”. In Quebec, the Minister of Transport also “prefers” a TGV.
“It is certain that in Canada, we have great distances, so the faster, the better it will be. But one of the questions that may come up later is at what cost. If we can get a TGV to Toronto but it costs twice as much as a plane ticket, will it really work? “, explained the municipal elected official in an interview with The Pressshortly after meeting him.
He argues that the debate is also one of plotting. “A TGV would necessarily be in a straight line, which could mean major expropriations, and therefore disfigure neighborhoods,” continues Mr. Boyer. “Me as a citizen, it appeals to me to hear about a TGV, but afterwards, we have to see if it’s realistic”, he persists, saying that his priority is “the impact on the configuration of our cities”.
Whatever form it takes – a TGF or a TGV – this future train network will have to pass through Laval, insists the mayor. “We know that the solutions chosen can vary, so nothing is set in stone yet. Laval is the third largest city in Quebec, with strong growth. We can’t rule it out. »
In the office of the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, we are going in the same direction. “Between a TGF and a TGV, it is certain that what we prefer is a TGV. We think it’s a great project that Ottawa could fund, ”said its press secretary, Louis-Julien Dufresne, on Tuesday. Recently, Prime Minister François Legault also spoke of the TGV as a “great project, provided it is heavily funded by the federal government”.
At the end of January, the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, had also launched a plea in favor of a high-speed train (TGV). In Montreal, the Plante administration believes that the TGV “deserves to be studied”. Several other players, such as the Conseil du patronat, are also campaigning for a TGV.
A “big project”, persists Ottawa
The office of federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra maintains that the TGF “will be the biggest infrastructure project Canada has ever seen”. “It will have dedicated tracks and will no longer have to share them with freight trains. This will reduce delays”, supports on this subject the press officer, Valérie Glazer, adding that the 200 km/h of the TGF already greatly exceeds the performance of current trains.
Last fall, after seeking comments from the private sector, Ottawa changed a project criterion: it now envisages that the TGF go at more than 200 km/h on certain parts of the route, and asks companies to give it proposals in this direction.
According to our information, qualified companies will be able to submit proposals within about a month, after which each project will be reviewed until the fall, at a minimum. It is then that real progress could be announced, and that the choice of the system could be confirmed.
“We are open to studying projects which propose to increase the speed beyond 200 kilometers per hour in certain segments if it makes sense at the economic level”, argued Tuesday Mme Glazer.