(Quebec) After consulting thousands of pages of studies and meeting dozens of stakeholders, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) is proposing a vast plan worth 15.5 billion for mobility in the capital.
CDPQ Infra experts presented their 140-page report on Wednesday, which concluded that a tramway for Quebec was necessary.
As for the thorny issue of the third link, the Fund is clear: “the analyzes demonstrate that one more inter-river road link cannot be justified from the point of view of mobility, and CDPQ Infra therefore does not recommend its creation” .
IMAGE TAKEN FROM CDPQ INFRA REPORT
The tram network proposed by the Caisse is indicated in purple, and that of SRB in blue.
The Caisse, however, is in favor of a third link… public transport. It proposes a tram line that would connect the two city centers in six minutes.
The network proposed by the Caisse is called Plan CITÉ (integrated express transport circuit). It is structured as follows:
- A 28 km tram network in Quebec at a cost of 7 billion, which takes up the City’s project, with antennas in Charlesbourg, Estimauville and Lebourgneuf.
- Rapid bus service (SRB) circuits of 30 km in two networks, one in Quebec and one in Lévis, which connect to the tramway. One of the SRB lines connects the two shores, at a cost of 4.5 billion. This includes a set of new reserved lanes on motorways totaling more than 30 km.
- A 7 km inter-river link between the city centers of Quebec and Lévis, i.e. a tunnel dedicated to a tramway. It is estimated at 4 billion.
“It’s an exciting vision and plan, of which we are proud. It’s coherent and it meets a lot of needs,” commented Jean-Marc Arbaud, president and CEO, CDPQ Infra in a press conference Wednesday in Quebec. M Arbaud has already demonstrated the Caisse’s appetite to carry out this important public transport project.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Jean-Marc Arbaud (right)
The Caisse received last November the mandate from the Legault government to analyze mobility in the greater Quebec region. After six months of work and after meeting 172 stakeholders, it concluded that a tramway is necessary in the capital.
“The tram is the right solution, even taking into account densification. Otherwise it’s overcapacity,” notes Mr. Arbaud, who dismisses the idea of a metro.
The tramway proposed by the Caisse is essentially the same as that which was defended by the former mayor Régis Labeaume and the current one, Bruno Marchand. The Fund, however, believes it can improve the project, with hybrid cars that remove wires in certain places. It also suggests lowering the concrete slab and using shorter trains, between 40 and 35 meters, to reduce construction costs.
Some 80,000 people would be transported every day and the Fund anticipates “time and reliability savings” compared to the current buses serving Quebec City.
The first phase of the tramway, from Le Gendre to Charlesbourg, could be delivered as early as 2030, estimates CDPQ Infra. The company also says it is interested in carrying out the project, if the government gives it the mandate.
No to the third motorway link
The Caisse also analyzed six routes for a possible third motorway link. She does not recommend that the government build such a structure.
“Fundamentally, it does not improve mobility, or only slightly. In certain considerations, it moves congestion from point A to point B,” concludes Jean-Marc Arbaud.
Caisse experts estimate that the main transportation routes in Quebec are already quite congested. A third link would only aggravate this situation, by dumping thousands of automobiles from the South Shore creating a funnel effect.
A third motorway link, which would cost billions of dollars, would only generate time savings of 5 minutes for motorists on existing bridges, concludes the Fund.
This also analyzed six routes for a possible third link. It immediately rules out a route via the Île d’Orléans.
“The link on the Île d’Orléans side, we are in a heritage zone and in an environment with agricultural zoning in several places. So a link here is extremely difficult, if not impossible. This is possibly the most complicated place,” says Denis Andlauer, Vice-President, Operations, CDPQ Infra.
She retains two potential axes, but ultimately concludes that they are not justified.
The Caisse notes, however, in its report that several participants in its meetings “expressed concerns about the safety and redundancy of existing bridges.” These stakeholders are particularly concerned about the transport of goods in the region if the Pierre-Laporte bridge closed.
But these considerations “exceed the mandate of CDPQ Infra”, which leaves it to the government to analyze this question.
The Caisse, however, is proposing a new inter-river link, a tunnel solely dedicated to a tramway which could be built from 2035.