West Island REM Light Rail stations are political tools, PQ says

The Parti Quebecois is taking aim at West Island train stops along the proposed Réseau express métropolitain (REM) route.

The PQ said in a press conference on Tuesday, the electric train project is unnecessary and accuses Liberal MNAs of putting stops on the West Island in exchange for votes.

PQ MNA and party spokesperson of the economy, Alain Therrien,  said the REM train stations like Ste- Anne-De-Bellevue do not have enough traffic to merit the train stops.

Residents and commuters who take the train in the area disagree.

“If you want to go downtown for the evening, to come home, you have one train between 6:30 p.m. and the next morning,” Penny Stewart said. “And you’re like Cinderella — if you do not get that train, you do not get home.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If you want to go downtown for the evening, to come home, you have one train between 6:30 p.m. and the next morning," Penny Stewart said. "And you're like Cinderella — if you do not get that train, you do not get home."

Therrien even called the West Island REM route the “Ligne Rouge,” for the affiliation with red, the Quebec Liberal Party’s official colour. Therrien went on, as far as marking the proposed stops with the names of  Liberal MNAs, Leitão, Coiteux and Kelley, who represent those ridings in those areas.

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READ MORE: Montreal’s $6.3 billion light rail network finalized, expected to open in 2021

The PQ claims the $1.2 billion that the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue branch will cost is unjustified, saying in a press release that it would have little effect on traffic congestion, keeping cars on the roads. 

“I’m livid, absolutely livid,” Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa said. “This has been needed for 15 years, anyone who understands the West Island knows that,” Hawa said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm livid, absolutely livid," Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa said. "This has been needed for 15 years, anyone who understands the West Island knows that," Hawa said.

READ MORE: Montreal’s $6-billion light rail transit project has Kirkland property owners on edge

The PQ’s argument is that there isn’t enough of a population on the West Island to sustain the three train stations.

Hawa disagrees: “There are hundreds of thousands of West Islanders who need access to the train and the off-island community of Vaudreuil is one of the fastest-growing towns in the province,” said Hawa.

The PQ claims their plan titled, “Le Grand Déblocage” will cost $7.4 billion.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has said withdrawing from the REM would cost the province $1 billion in penalties.

The REM light-rail project will cost $6.3 billion and is expected to be ready by the summer of 2021.