Montréal, March 21, 2024 – While the Quebec government is planning huge public transit projects for the coming years, a report by the Centre for Productivity and Prosperity – Walter J. Somers Foundation (CPP) published today shows that the tens of billions of dollars invested are not always fully justified, and that these projects do not comply with internationally recognized best practices.
“Many large public transit projects in Quebec experience significant failures because of governance issues and poor planning,” says Jacques Roy, Professor in the Department of Logistics and Operations Management at HEC Montréal, the author of the study. “Whether they are in Montréal, Quebec City or Gatineau, Quebeckers have every right to be concerned. Take the REM project, for example: the first phase was delivered three years late and at a cost evaluated at close to $8 billion, 45% more than the initial budget.”
