Go slow with fast-train plan

Re: “REM represents new era of big projects: Couillard” (Montreal Gazette, Feb. 9)

Objections voiced over the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) should be dealt with before proceeding with such a huge investment.

Various issues have not been resolved, including the bottleneck in the Mount Royal tunnel if Via Rail’s proposed Quebec City/Windsor corridor project goes ahead, and the integration of existing commuter lines that will involve transfers and presumably add time and inconvenience to the journey.

Why has expansion of the métro not been promoted? Why is the métro not used as the basis for this publictransit expansion? Why is the proposed REM route to the airport so circuitous? What about all the money that’s been invested in upgrading the rolling stock and tracks of the existing commuter network?

The fact that the Caisse de dépôt is to fund nearly half the cost of the $6.3-billion REM project does not justify rushing ahead with it.

S. Yates, Laval