There were about 10-15 columns, articles, etc. about the situation this morning, I'll try to summarize:
- Most of the opposition to the project came from downtown/Hochelaga, which is the part that's being cancelled. It's also the only part that CDPQi considered profitable, and that's why they're pulling out.
- The inclusion of the City is widely seen as a good thing, because it makes no sense to build such a large project without having the municipal government at the planning table.
- The government just appointed a new chairman at ARTM, who will be "personally involved" in the project. The Premier also said that he wouldn't exclude management shuffles at ARTM if things are not better organized. This is his condition for involving ARTM in the process. However, this could be a truly positive thing for them going forward.
- The green line is not at capacity and isn't planned to be at capacity for the foreseeable future. There are also many steps to be taken before the line is considered over-capacity (platform doors, signal reconstruction, more Azur trains) which cost way less than another line downtown. The Blue line extension should also provide a bit of relief to the Green line.
- LOTS of talks about the special powers that were given to CDPQi and how transferring some of them to ARTM would make capital projects much more efficient in the Greater Montreal area.
- CAQ is hoping to gain seats on the island in October. Peace with the Mayor is seen as an important step towards that (similar to how Doug Ford showcases his working relationship with Justin Trudeau ahead of the June election).
TLDR: Most columnists and journalists consider this a good thing, but the new planning committee for the East (which had its first meeting this morning) will have to show that it is able to work efficiently so as to not impact the in service date too much. This is a huge test for all the stakeholders, but if the outcome is positive this could trigger a much bigger chain of events for transportation in the CMM.
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