CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has unveiled plans for a light rail project in Montréal to the airport. The line will link the Montréal’s downtown, the South Shore, the West Island, the North Shore and the airport in a unified, fully automated, 67 km light rail transit system comprising 24 stations.
The value of the project is CAD 5.5 billion (USD 3.85 billion), of which La Caisse will invest CAD 3 billion (USD 2 billion), and the rest of the value will be covered by the governments of Québec and Canada.
New stations will be integrated into their urban environment and designed to allow easy access for pedestrians, bicycles, cars and buses. All stations will be covered, climate-controlled, equipped with elevators, and will meet the principles of universal access.
The construction is currently expected to begin in the spring of 2017, so that the first trains can be in service towards the end of 2020.
Once completed, the network will be the third largest automated transportation system in the world after Dubai (80 km) and Vancouver (68 km), and just ahead of Singapore (65 km).
“We are proposing an innovative public transit solution that will improve the quality of life in Montréal and deliver important economic, social and environmental benefits. It will improve the metropolitan region’s overall competitiveness. The new transit system will also deliver long-term, stable investment returns very well aligned with the needs of our depositors, the people of Québec,” said Michael Sabia, President and Chief Executive Officer of la Caisse.
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