The route of the public transport project in East Montreal will initially not provide a direct connection with the city center, unlike the route proposed by the Caisse de dépôt with its now-defunct REM de l’Est.
Posted at 6:41 p.m.
The information, which has been known since last November, was reconfirmed on Tuesday afternoon by metropolitan minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, who was addressing the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce at the Anjou Golf Club.
“You have to take small steps to be successful. It is clear that there must be a connection to the city center at some point. “It has been agreed that we will be going there at present for a preliminary study with a route that starts from one of the stations of the Green Line,” the minister said during an exchange with the CEO of the Chamber of the East, Jean-Denis Charest.
Only when the green line has reached its maximum capacity can a connection to the city center be considered.
The Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) submitted its report to Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, Pierre Fitzgibbon said in a press conference after the event. She analyzes it.
In the past it was said that the ARTM should present its final report in June.
“In the first project, the connection to the city center will not be examined,” Minister Fitzgibbon added to journalists. There is no doubt that at some point we will have to think about it. We’ll be maximizing the use of the green line for a while. Will it be 8, 10, 12 years? We do not know yet. You have to start by announcing something, a route. »
Wanting to see the glass half full, the chief of the Eastern Chamber expressed his delight that the Quebec government continues to believe in the importance of the direct connection to the city center in the long term.
“The question will be, how soon will we study it? said Jean-Denis Charest when asked about his reaction to the minister’s position. There is no doubt that we will continue with a REM from the East. The minister also agrees that this project needs strong confirmation in order to release the investments. »