The opposition at Montreal city hall is worried to see the bill for the Bellechasse bus garage increase even further, beyond 584 million. Friday, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) admitted that it does not yet know how much the electrification of the transport center will cost.
“The Plante administration did not include all the connection equipment for electric buses in the invoice. Unfortunately, the administration did not want to detail the content of these new costs,” lamented transport critic Christine Black, also mayor of Montreal North.
She was thus reacting to remarks made on Friday by the general director of the STM, Marie-Claude Léonard, before the Commission on Finance, indicating that “the cost of electrification for the Bellechasse transport center is being evaluated”.
“We aim to come back to you in 2024 with this amount,” she said, ensuring however that the goal remains “to stay within the envelope of 584 million” which was presented last year . The work, 80% complete, must still end in the fall of 2024, the DG also assured.
The latest news is that the STM’s Bellechasse garage is expected to cost 584 million, which is already more than twice as expensive as initially expected.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Christine Black, mayor of Montreal North
Saying she was “surprised and worried” by the situation, Mme Black predicts the bill “is expected to rise further.” “It seems inconceivable to grant a single dollar more to the new Bellechasse garage, a project hastily announced in order to accommodate Mayor Plante’s 300 buses,” said the elected official.
Mme Léonard maintains that her group “has not yet electrified transport centers”. “When we have done it, we will have a better idea of the costs. Right now, I could tell you an amount that would mean nothing,” she repeated to the mayor of Saint-Laurent, Alan DeSousa, who pressed her with questions.
“It’s not a simple task to be able to determine all that, in something that is evolving,” also launched Mme Léonard, specifying that the Bellechasse center “is no longer part of the short-term strategies to bring electrification” to the STM”. “It will come more around 2027,” she said.
By email, an STM spokesperson, Amélie Régis, specifies that the cost of 584 million “is dedicated to the construction of the garage which includes part of the electrification” such as spaces for chargers and electrical entrances.
“However, at the time of planning for the transportation center in the early 2010s, charging solution technologies were in their infancy and were not integrated into the project at that time. This is what will be part of our electrification program which is currently being developed,” adds M.me Regis.
Until now, the delays were mainly attributed to the fact that the project is being carried out “in a context of overheating of the construction market”, in addition to the health crisis, the labor shortage and the increase in costs. costs of construction materials.
The site also experienced its share of complexities due to the discovery of geotechnical conditions “different from those anticipated,” says the STM. The issues related to the rock have since been resolved and the consolidation work completed, we assure.