Blue Line extension announcement coming
It was vaguely confirmed in last month’s provincial budget, but the Quebec government intends to announce on Monday it will officially go ahead with a 5.8-kilometre extension of the métro’s Blue Line, Radio-Canada has reported.
Transport Minister André Fortin confirmed at the time that the project, estimated at $3.9 billion, will go ahead starting this year. However, he said the province was still negotiating with the federal government on how the costs of the project will be shared.
On Friday, Radio-Canada reported that both the province and the federal government have come to terms on sharing the cost, and will make an announcement on Monday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
While the details of the cost-sharing arrangement are not yet known, similar projects are financed with about 60 per cent of funds from the federal government.
An extension of the métro’s Blue Line has been anticipated for decades. The project would see the line extend to Anjou, and it would be the first in-town extension of the métro network since the 1980s.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has also promised to push for a new métro line for the region. That line would run from Lachine to Montreal North, and is presently being studied by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain, the region’s public transit planning body.