Public transit: Couillard promises “billions”

Photo Didier Debusschère
The prime minister Philippe Couillard promises that it will launch several major transit projects if he is re-elected next October. On the photo, Mr. Couillard in an interview with the Newspaper yesterday to the city hall of Quebec city.

Patrick Bellerose

Saturday, 17 march 2018 00:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 17 march 2018 00:00

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If he is re-elected, Philippe Couillard promises billions of dollars for public transport to both Québec city and Montréal, and he is not afraid of facing the radio stations in the National Capital on this topic.

“The new era of big projects, it is the mobility, sustainable mobility “, summarized the prime minister in an exclusive interview with our parliamentary Bureau, on the sidelines of the announcement of the transportation project structuring to Quebec.

This extensive tram system and trambus, which is estimated at $ 3 billion, will be funded, at a minimum, 60% by Quebec, the remaining part being assumed by Ottawa.

Radio stations of Quebec

Philippe Couillard doesn’t hide it, the transportation project structuring will be an electoral issue between the PLQ and the CAQ in the Quebec city region in the next elections. There is nothing to prevent the troops of François Legault to tear up the contract if they wish. “It is always possible, it is one of the reasons why it is necessary to re-elect the liberal government “, launched by the prime minister during the press briefing in the company of the mayor Labeaume.

Moreover, he does not fear the opposition of the radio stations of Quebec, yet very critical about the public transport. “I saw that, during the last campaign city, Régis Labeaume has been largely a campaign around the idea of a structuring project for Québec; and with what he has to announce, it has won its campaign “, said Philippe Couillard.

Sustainable mobility will also be at the heart of the election platform of the LIBERALS during the election campaign next fall. In the event of a second term of office, Philippe Couillard promised that his government will fund transit projects on the north and south shores of Montreal, in addition to being favourable to the extension of the blue line of the metro and the construction of the pink line.

The projects are not yet defined, but the prime minister gives the example of the Network express metropolitan (REM), including the deux-Montagnes line belt to the lower part of the City of Laval. “So, we can easily imagine antennas that will look up the customer in the Basses-Laurentides “, shows Philippe Couillard.

As the Baie-James

“I asked [the Transport minister] André Fortin to reflect with other colleagues the best way to present something that stands in terms of the concept for the Basses-Laurentides “, said the prime minister.

The South Shore would also have the right to a “public transport project is” to bring the customer to the metro station and the REM.

The prime minister compares these projects of several billion to those of James Bay in the 20th century. “These are large-scale projects, there is talk of billions of dollars of projects, thousands of jobs for their achievement, of thousands of jobs for the operation of these networks, he argued, while praising the improvement of the quality of life of users.