A $36-billion REM de l'Est is 'unrealistic,' says Quebec Premier François Legault.
"I was very surprised by the $36 billion price tag. I couldn't swallow my sip of coffee when I read that," he said Wednesday at a press briefing.
The report by a metropolitan regional transit authority (ARTM) committee is proposing a 34-km REM that would run entirely underground in the eastern Montreal area. However, this new version of the project - renamed 'Projet structurant de l'Est' - considerably inflates costs.
"Quebecers definitely don't have the capacity to pay for a $36-billion project," said Legault.
The premier also said that this was not what had been asked of the committee.
"We had asked that perhaps a small part of the project be underground. We hadn't asked the ARTM to make it completely underground," he said.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault's office also considers the cost too high.
"The report gives us ideas and recommendations to analyze and take into account going forward. That said, it's clear that the proposal is beyond Quebecers' ability to pay," said press attaché Léonie Bernard-Abel.
This new version of the project would have four new stations: one in Laval, two in Rivière-des-Prairies and one in Charlemagne.
The previous version proposed aerial structures, which were roundly criticized.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 5, 2023
