The Quebec tramway must now take an alternative route to come into the world. Faced with the absence of private partners to ensure the construction of the infrastructures which will frame its 19.3 km route, the City intends to put in place its “plan B”, that is to say, to become the project manager in the realization of this ambitious – and costly – component.
“The tramway project is still alive,” the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, insisted at the outset during a much-anticipated and busy press briefing. That being said, I asked that we end the call for proposals process yesterday. »
Quebec will therefore not be able to count on a private partner to ensure the construction of infrastructure, since the last consortium in the running announced its withdrawal last Friday. “We learned at this time that Mobilité de la Capitale would not submit financial proposals,” said the mayor. The financing conditions are the main reason to justify the absence of a deposit by this consortium. »
“The absence of a proposal,” added the elected official from Quebec, “naturally led to the end of the call for tenders. There was no point in dragging out a dead end process. »
Bruno Marchand says he is convinced that the City can take under its wing the construction of infrastructure at a lower cost, putting forward the estimate of 8.4 billion dollars – more than double the last official evaluation presented by his administration, estimated at four billions of dollars.
The scope of the route would not change, but its implementation would take place in three distinct phases.
More details will follow.
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