Danger hovers over the Eastern REM. A few more rants, embarrassing leaks and heartbreaks in the public square, and it will be too late to rescue this project necessary for the revitalization and densification of eastern Montreal. There should be another way, that of consultation and cooperation, to avoid yet another failure in attempts to improve the supply of public transport in the metropolis.
In quick succession, imperfect studies by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the Agence régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) have discredited the impact of the CDPQ Infra project. The REM de l’Est would only attract 6% of new public transit users. In direct competition with the metro, it would lead to a 26% decline in ridership on the green line and 75% for the Mascouche commuter train, at the risk of increasing the operating deficit of transit companies. However, these studies have methodological problems, according to lecturer and transportation planning expert Pierre Barrieau. They neglect the effect of the economic revival of the city center and the potential for densification in the East.
The project will go ahead, hammered the minister responsible for the Metropolis, Chantal Rouleau, in a tone and an attitude of resentment that does not suit her well. The Prime Minister, François Legault, was bold in having the project carried out by the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, affirming that it was up to her to “present a project that suited her”, as if she had the power to do so, while it is struggling to be heard by the project manager of the Eastern REM, CDPQ Infra.
The government is sending mixed signals. On the one hand, he gives the impression that he is looking for a scapegoat to blame for a failure by questioning Mayor Plante. On the other hand, it dangles its financial participation for the urban and architectural integration of the project, one of the main points of contention. This path is much more promising.
The mother of all evils is the intransigence and stubbornness of CDPQ Infra, which gives priority to the economic model of the REM and its profitability to the detriment of the needs of the communities served by the aerial train, of its complementarity with the existing public transport offer and its impact on the urban fabric. CDPQ Infra does not seek so much to involve its partners as to extract their consent. In its defense, neither the STM nor the ARTM have shone with their genius in the planning and development of the network in the last five years, and that is why the project of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ ), with its promise of self-financing, remains so tempting for Quebec and many bodies that still support it, including the City of Montreal.
However, let’s not assume the Caisse’s infallible will to pursue the adventure in such a climate of controversy and suspicion. Delays and cost overruns in the delivery of the West REM, the change in senior management, the low social acceptability of the East section could lead it to give up. The setback for public transport would be terrible, because unfortunately we cannot count on the ARTM to play its role in planning, prioritizing and carrying out structuring projects.
Before it’s too late, why not take a step back instead of running into the wall, head down? There is still a passageway for the Eastern REM, but it requires an in-depth review of CDPQ Infra’s approach. In a spirit of consultation, it should accede to the City of Montreal’s request to have a voice within the joint committee so that Mayor Plante’s concerns are heard in the urban integration of the project. Despite all the assurances and modifications proposed to date by CDPQ Infra, the risk that the REM de l’Est will tear apart and disfigure neighborhoods and the city center for decades to come is still too high.
Among the conditions for success, the train will have to pass through a tunnel in Mercier-Est and on René-Lévesque Boulevard, from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. If this is not possible, the REM should stop upstream from the city center and connect to the green line. Financial participation from Quebec would be welcome to facilitate successful urban and architectural integration and make the REM de l’Est a true signature project.
Finally, the continuation of the adventure should be conditional on a subsequent reform of public transit funding. The Caisse’s performance imperative, Quebec’s “loose wool”, should not come at the expense of the stability and growth of the existing public transit offer in the metropolitan area. Only the Government of Quebec can preside over this difficult arbitration between two fundamental missions.