There will indeed be competition, and not coronation, to build the Quebec tramway. Alstom and Siemens have both expressed their interest in embarking on the project, one of the largest in the history of the capital.
The City is delighted to welcome this two-man race, which required so many qualifying calls before it materialized. Last year, a first procurement process failed after only one consortium came forward.
“The City is delighted with this result,” she wrote in a press release. “This success will ensure the best project at the best price, for the benefit of all citizens.”
Two qualifying calls
Faced with an impasse, Quebec had split its qualifying call in two last June. The approach now aims to select a first partner to design, supply and maintain the rolling stock, ie the trains, from next summer.
Another partner must be chosen in the spring of 2023. It will have the mandate to build, finance and maintain the infrastructure, i.e. the tramway platform, its stations, its terminals and its exchange hubs.
“In the coming weeks, the City will analyze the files received in order to qualify the candidate or candidates who will then be invited to participate in the call for proposals,” the press release indicates. “This is expected to be released in the winter of 2022, once the necessary government clearances have been obtained. At the end of this process, the private partner selected for the rolling stock should be selected in the summer of 2022.
The French company Alstom acquired Bombardier Transportation in January 2021. Its Canadian headquarters are in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and the company claims more than 4,300 employees in Canada.
The French giant posted a turnover of nearly 16 billion euros a year ago and its trams run in a hundred cities around the world. Among its feats of arms in Quebec are the Azur trains of the Montreal metro. The company is also preparing to deliver the 212 REM Metropolis cars.
The transportation division of German titan Siemens built the light rail trains for Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. The company has some 2,500 employees in Canada.
Deadline respected
Quebec is also extending by one month, until February 22, the call for qualification for the structural component of the tramway. The City thus acceded to the requests of potential candidates, who wanted additional time to prepare their file.
The City says it is “very confident in the timelines for the completion of the project”. She does not anticipate any further delay “at this stage.”
The tramway represents the backbone of a vast mobility network that will be deployed in Québec and its outskirts. The cost of the project, initially estimated at $3.3 billion, could jump to $4 billion due in particular to delays, soaring prices and labor shortages. The administration of Mayor Bruno Marchand is due to present an update on the project on January 24 and 25.