Project Abandonment Leaves Plant Disappointed
Montreal's Mayor Valerie Plante voiced her "extreme frustration" on Thursday over Quebec's decision to scrap the Lachine tramway project. This transport line, slated as the western end of the iconic "pink line" of MPlante, had been in the works for six years before it vanished from the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PIQ) in the last provincial budget in late March.
"It's bloody frustrating. We didn't get a call about it. We just found out like everyone else," Plante grimaced on Thursday during a quick press conference interlude.
In 2019, Montreal received a hefty federal grant of $800 million to bankroll this project, which was still far from shovel-ready. Plante had agreed to redirect this funding to the Quebec City tramway project, in exchange for an equivalent commitment from the Quebec government.
"I went searching for guarantees, and the guarantee was that this project would be included in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan. This pink line tramway project would be a go-ahead," she remembered. "There were handshakes... It was clear as day."
Plante expressed her desire to confer with the Legault government in an attempt to salvage the project.
Since its inception in 2019, the project had been riddled with delays.
By 2023, La Presse revealed that Quebec had thwarted the commencement of public consultations on the project, much to the dismay of Montreal City Hall. Eventually, these consultations took place in early 2024.
Over the summer of 2024, it came to light that the idea of a tramway directly linking Lachine to downtown Montreal had been scrapped, as had the plan for a metro extension.
Lachine tramway's withdrawal may be associated with economic pressures or shifting political priorities, as seen in other tramway projects' cancellations in Quebec. To obtain precise details, it's advisable to check Montreal’s municipal communications or Québec government infrastructure announcements for specific references.
- Montreal's Mayor Valerie Plante has expressed her intent to discuss the Lachine tramway project with the Legault government.
- The Lachine tramway, which was set to be the western end of the iconic "pink line" of MPlante, disappeared from the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PIQ) in the last provincial budget in late March.
- In 2019, Montreal received a substantial federal grant of $800 million to finance the Lachine tramway project.
- Plante had agreed to rechannel this funding to the Quebec City tramway project, under the condition that the Quebec government made an equal commitment.
- The transportation industry and general news outlets have been following the political implications of the Lachine tramway's withdrawal, as it may be tied to economic pressures or changing political priorities.
- The Lachine tramway project, initially slated for 2023, had been subject to numerous delays, with public consultations only taking place in early 2024, followed by the cancellation of the direct tramway link to downtown Montreal and the plan for a metro extension.
