MONTREAL - The Parti Quebecois is worried that two train projects meant to provide better transit service to the West Island and Montreal's Trudeau airport are costing taxpayers too much.
According to Nicolas Girard, the MNA for Gouin and the PQ's spokesperson for transportation, the two projects could cost up to $1.3 billion. Girard called pursuing the projects a "supplementary expense" of $400 million over combining the plans.
The PQ calculated the figure by including the cost of a study undertaken by the Agence metropolitaine de transport, information from the Montreal Airport Authority about a planned train to Trudeau airport, and feasibility studies ordered be the government for a "train de l'Ouest."
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Girard called for the Charest government to drop the two projects and choose a single plan that would be more affordable for taxpayers.
The PQ member also called for the Liberal government to make public a study written by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2006. The $1.2 million study was ordered to provide the province with the best solution to respond to the transit needs of the West Island.
Calling the planned airport train overdue, Gouin said that the government couldn't exclude the possibility that the train could be used by West Island residents as a means of travelling to downtown.
In November 2011, the AMT unveiled a $17-billion plan to overhaul Montreal's public transit system by the year 2020. The plan included expanding several metro lines and improving train service across its network, including the West Island.
