CANADA: The government of Québec has asked infrastructure investment specialist CPDQ Infra to investigate options to develop transport links for the city of Québec after procurement of a planned tram line collapsed in early November.
The city had been developing plans for a 19·3 km line with 29 stops to connect Pôle Le Gendre in the southwest with Pôle D’Estimauville to the north, including a 1·8 km underground section through the city centre. However, the city council announced on November 1 that procurement of the civil works was not now expected to proceed following the withdrawal of the last remaining consortium from the tendering process.
The scheme has been hit by rising costs, with the outlay estimated to have more than doubled to reach between C$10bn and C$13bn.
On November 1 the city council submitted a proposal to the provincial government for a descoped option costing around C$8bn. This was rejected for now, and instead, the province has opted to commission CPDQ Infra to assess current and projected transport needs for the metropolitan region, looking at all modes of transport.
The city council has already selected Alstom Transport Canada to supply and maintain 34 Citadis Spirit trams for the now-moribund light rail project. Construction had been expected to begin in 2024 for completion by 2029.
