The federal high frequency train (TGF) loses speed in Quebec. A dozen prominent members of the business community are instead calling for a TGV for the national capital, “a logical choice” which, according to them, would carry out “one of the most structuring actions for the economy of [la] region. »
In a letter launched by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Quebec (CCIQ), the heads of several entrepreneurial and institutional flagships of the capital sharpen an economic argument to plead in favor of the TGV.
“Our national capital is isolated from the metropolises, it is written. It must be recognized that this constitutes a major disadvantage for its economy and the mobility of people. »
The economic heavyweights of the region are asking Ottawa to open the door to the TGV. Among them: Promutuel, Familiprix, Industrial Alliance, CGI, Beneva, Laval University. Names that are among the 7% of companies in Quebec that employ more than 50% of the workforce. “We want modern mobility in Quebec,” underlines Steeve Lavoie, president of the CCIQ. We are in 2023: we do not want to miss this opportunity. »
“Better than the car”
For the signatories, the TGV offers the promise of reaching Montreal in an hour and a half, and Toronto, in less than three. “The time savings are enormous and make a real difference compared to current rail transport or even the TGF project”, insist the authors. A more efficient service, we add, would lead many to abandon the car to get around.
“It always comes up in my discussions with the business community: there is a huge appetite [pour le train], but currently, with the delays, the cancellations, the problems of wifi, people are taking their equal tank, explains Steeve Lavoie. If Ottawa sets up a fast, efficient service with good frequency, people will use it. The TGF, according to what we hear, it would be as fast as the car. It is insufficient. What people tell me is, “Put on something that’s better than the car, we’ll take it.” »
The TGV would have a significant impact on the regional economy, according to the authors. Attracting and retaining manpower, recruiting scientific, academic and cultural talent, maintaining head offices in Quebec: the list of benefits, in the eyes of the signatories, is long, and Ottawa should take note.
The CCIQ cites in particular a study carried out by the National Railway Company which states that smaller metropolitan areas “receive more benefits from a fast train”.
cost issue
This exit from the business community follows a plea launched by the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, last January. The elected representative of the capital also asked Ottawa to study the possibility of the TGV. The latter reaches a speed of 300 km/h, twice the maximum speed of current passenger trains, which must share the track with freight wagons. The TGF, meanwhile, would rather circulate at 200 km / h.
A letter separates the TGF and the TGV… but also several tens of billions of dollars. In 2021, the Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, estimated the cost of a TGF between 6 and 12 billion dollars. However, inflation was already clouding these estimates at the time.
The TGV bill, meanwhile, would be higher. In February, Pierre Barrieau, a lecturer in transport planning at UQAM and the University of Montreal, estimated on Radio-Canada that the price of a TGV between Quebec and Toronto could be around $65 billion.