2023-08-19 09:00:00
Residents of Montreal East should not buy a streetcar ticket right away. The external consultant of the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) who put this scenario forward Thursday at 98.5 FM “did not speak on behalf of the ARTM”, indicates the organization, which is reconsidering its links business with him.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
General manager Benoît Gendron argued that his organization wanted to evaluate all possible modes of transport, without favoring the tramway. The mayoress of Montreal also coldly welcomed the idea.
“Going to say that it will be a tram, that seems to me an important shortcut,” said Mr. Gendron, Friday in a telephone interview. “Let us explore all the options. We want to study the different modes. On the contrary, we do not want to force ourselves into a mode and say “here is the solution!” even before the development needs have been studied. »
The day before, government affairs consultant François Rebello had given an interview to the program Quebec now at 98.5 FM, in which he affirmed that the ARTM was studying a tramway project. Mr. Rebello has had a mandate from the ARTM since last fall.
The tram, “it’s an option that is being studied,” said Mr. Rebello Thursday in the interview. “If you want to be able to stay on the surface with a train, you have to cross roads. And for that, we need a driver. From the moment we study something other than an automatic mode, that means we want to be on the surface. On the surface, it looks a lot like a tram. »
Mr. Rebello touted the option. “For citizens, to see trams passing in the streets, it does not have the same negative impact as something raised,” he added, still on the airwaves of 98.5 FM.
“I speak on my behalf as a consultant”
Called to comment, Mr. Rebello denied having exceeded his mandate.
“I speak in my name as a consultant, in particular of the ARTM and not in the name of the ARTM and I have never claimed anything else”, he declared in writing.
“I said that the option of the train with driver (tramway) would be studied by the ARTM and this is confirmed by the DG of the ARTM, he added. We will see following the study which solution will be preferred, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of the different technologies. »
Benoît Gendron said he was surprised when he heard Mr. Rebello on the radio.
“Mr. Rebello was not speaking on behalf of the ARTM,” he said. As for whether he remains employed by the ARTM, there are elements to look at. First, we will ask him not to speak publicly once more. […] I won’t comment on that in public. »
Plante coldly welcomes the idea
Mayor Valérie Plante coldly welcomed the idea of transforming the structuring project of the East (ex-REM de l’Est) into a tram network on Friday.
“I love trams, our team loves trams. But we must not forget that it is a slower mode of transport. It fulfills other functions, ”she said, on the sidelines of a press conference. “We must not question the project as presented. »
A tram can be complementary. But there’s a reason why this mode [le train léger automatique] is particularly interesting is that it is fast. We want people from the East to make it easy to get around.
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal
The mayor does not see any particular blockage in the file of the structuring project of the East (PSE), entrusted to a public working group following the abandonment of the REM of the East by the Caisse de dépôt et placement in the spring of 2022. She still considers that the entirely underground project of 36 billion dollars presented at the beginning of the summer deserves an in-depth study, with attention paid to “every accounting line” to find savings.
“I don’t think there’s a dead end, to be honest with you,” she said. And for the Prime Minister and for me, there is a need and a real desire to have a project that will meet the need. »
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