Quebec’s transport minister is assuring Quebercers — and particularly West Islanders — that the REM electric train, already under construction, will continue ahead as planned. The Parti Quebecois (PQ) has been calling for the project to be scrapped.
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Friday, during a debate at the National Assembly, the minister accused the PQ of opposing the project only out of dislike of the West Island.
“Any time a project touches an artery the least bit west of St. Laurent, the PQ is going to oppose it,” said transport minister André Fortin.
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“I’ve never really heard a proposition by the Parti Quebecois to better serve the citizens of the West Island,” Fortin said later.
“They’ve never made a proposition for better services in general, whether it’s public transportation or other government services for those citizens.”
Fortin — as well as the CAQ — doesn’t understand why the PQ is against the light rail network.
“We’ve been looking for a solution for the airport for years and years and years and the PQ seems determined to take this project off the rails and delay any improvements in public service,” Fortin said.
“Their numbers are not right, their expectations are not right. It’s only a political position,” CAQ MNA Benoit Charette added.
The more than $6-billion REM is one of the largest public transportation projects in North America.
Construction officially began last month. When finished, it will span almost 70 kilometres.
“It’s a lot of money, but in the end, it’s almost a bargain. When we see the cost of the blue line, it’s for five kilometres and it’s almost $4 billion,” Charette added.
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The PQ denies they have anything against the West Island. Instead, the party says it just has a better plan that will re-route some of the lines to serve more people.
“It would be 100 times more efficient,” said PQ MNA Alain Therrien.
Fortin stressed that the REM is something Montreal can be proud of, but more importantly, it is already under construction. He said it would be “totally inappropriate” to cancel the project now.