Lachine tram | Plant “extremely disappointed” by the abandonment of the project

The mayor of Montreal said he was “extremely disappointed” on Thursday by the government’s decision to retire from the Lachine tram project.

Posted at 1:10 p.m.

The transport line, which was to constitute the western end of the famous “pink line” of M^me Plant, has been in the boxes for six years. The project was withdrawn from the Quebec Investment Plan (PQI) in the last provincial budget, at the end of March.

“It’s extremely disappointing. We did not receive a call on this. We just knew it like everyone else, ”she deplored Thursday on the sidelines of a press briefing.

In 2019, Montreal had received a federal check of 800 million to finance this project which was however far from ready to get out of the ground. Valérie Plante had then agreed to transfer the check to the tram project of Quebec City, in exchange for an equivalent commitment to the Quebec government.

“I went to get guarantees and the guarantee was that this project was registered in the Quebec infrastructure plan, that this project of the tram, of the Rose line was going to be done,” she recalled. “There were handles. […] It was heard. »»

Valérie Plante said she wanted to chat with the Legault government in an attempt to save the project.

Since its launch in 2019, the project has experienced major postponements.

In 2023, The press had revealed that Quebec had blocked the start of public consultations on the project, at the Dam of the Montreal City Hall. Finally, these took place in early 2024.

In the summer of 2024, we learned that the idea of ​​a tram directly connecting Lachine to downtown Montreal was abandoned, as is the option of a metro extension.