MONTREAL — Quebec’s pension fund manager, the Caisse de Dépôt et placements du Québec, confirmed to Global News that any new Train de l’Ouest project will include a rapid light rail transit system linking downtown Montreal to the Trudeau airport.
READ MORE: Train de l’Ouest to link Trudeau Airport hotel to Dorval train station
”What is envisioned is one project that would eventually serve both the West Island of Montreal and also the Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport,” Macky Tall, Senior VP in charge of Infrastructures of the Caisse said.
“It would be one project serving both services.”
This counters what Train de l’Ouest supporters have been saying.
READ MORE: Train de l’Ouest slated to roll out by 2020
Maria Tutino said at a press conference on Jan. 29 that the Train de l’Ouest project is independent of a light rail service to the airport.
”Whatever solution is brought forward, we want it in that corridor,” she said at the time.
“The corridor as the Train de l’Ouest.”
READ MORE: Dorval Municipal Golf Club an early casualty of Train de l’Ouest
The project could include both rail services, but the Caisse said it wants guarantees that it will receive a return on its investments.
The Caisse announced last month that it’s willing to invest up to $5-billion for new public transit projects.
The AMT has long considered the Train de l’Ouest a priority, but now the CEO of the mass transit organization that oversees commuter rail service in the Montreal area won’t say whether it fears service west of Dorval will be jeopardized for the Montreal-Trudeau airport link.
”I can’t comment on that because it’s going to be the mandate of the Caisse de depot,” Nicolas Girard said.
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