Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

In revealing the revised cost of the current tramway project, Mayor Bruno Marchand also set a target of 15 years for building tramway lines to the northern crown of the city.

As presented in a video, the first line would run to Charlesbourg, presumably along a route which had been part of the initial tramway proposal under the administration of Marchand’s predecessor, Régis Labeaume. At the insistence of the Coalition Avenir Québec government, that leg was changed for the line to the Beauport district of D’Estimauville.

The other line would pass through the Vanier district, with a hub at Les Galeries Fleur de Lys, and then head off to the Lebourgneuf sector and terminate at the Galeries de la Capitale.

The mayor’s first public commitment to the next phases of the tramway vision comes on the heels of a poll showing the tramway is far from popular in the suburbs. In Charlesbourg, according to the Leger poll, only 35 per cent of respondents had a position view of the plan; in the Les Rivières district it was 29 per cent.

Transition Québec Leader and Limoilou Coun. Jackie Smith said in a Nov. 3 release the city needs to get moving on the next phases. “We cannot wait for the tram to roll to D’Estimauville before starting to debate what happens next. Our city is in transition and this must include all boroughs as quickly as possible. The tramway is not just a toy for people in the city centre.”

Smith has launched an online survey to gather opinions on four scenarios for the Phase 2 line, all of which would connect with the hub in Saint-Roch. Last year, she urged the city to establish a project office to begin planning for the next phase of the tramway.

Marchand echoed the urgency, saying, “We have to think about this right now. If we wait, we’re going to hit a wall.” He noted the lines would be built to address an anticipated demand for transit based on population projections showing some 75,000 more residents by 2041.

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This map shows possible routes for Phase 2 and 3 of the Quebec City tramway plan, with one line running to Charlesbourg and one to Lebourgneuf.

Image from Ville de Québec