Radical revision of REM de l’Est includes axing downtown portion of project


CDPQ has backed out of a $10-billion transit project, which will now be managed by Quebec and Montreal.

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Quebec and Montreal are taking over the management of the controversial REM de l’Est project after Quebec’s pension-fund manager backed out of the project, Premier François Legault and Mayor Valérie Plante announced Monday.

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CDPQ’s proposed $10-billion, 32-kilometre elevated light-rail project has raised the ire of citizens’ groups and heritage organizations who slam it as an instant eyesore that would tower over eastern downtown.

In February, Montreal’s regional transit authority said planners should go back to drawing board because the REM de l’Est would be costly to run, could disfigure Montreal and would provide no clear benefit to most east-end commuters.

At a press conference at Montreal city hall, Legault and Plante said they have heard the complaints by citizens and experts and will radically revise the transit project to respond to them.

Monday’s announcement “proves that we are listening to citizens,” Legault said.

The downtown portion of the light-rail project will be eliminated and the remaining portion will be better integrated with the métro’s Green Line, I have announced.

The new project will also be better integrated into the architecture of the Mercier-Est area, he said.

While Legault said he wants the project to happen as quickly as possible, the changes will almost certainly postpone the opening of the rail link, which had been scheduled for 2029.


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