Quebec's rejection of Quebec City LRT over business case failure mirrors failure of Surrey LRT business case​

SkyTrain for Surrey applauds Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel’s recent announcement that the Quebec provincial government will withdraw provincial funding for a proposed $3.3 billion street-running light rail transit system in Quebec City.

This comes after Quebec’s environmental review board (BAPE) gave the proposed LRT system a failing grade, noting that “the proportion of citizens who would use public transport there would remain the same as before, which appears modest compared to the planned investments of $3.3 billion.” The BAPE’s report states that the proposed system “does not prove its ability to best respond to the city’s mobility challenges, and more broadly to those of the metropolitan area.” Specifically, it notes that the largely surface-oriented and street-running LRT system would NOT deliver significant travel time savings, which would be required to attract riders from the suburbs of Quebec City.

The BAPE has also encouraged the consideration of dedicated busways, or a combination of bus rapid transit and a driverless rail system similar to Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain. (*a note that Quebec generally calls R.E.M. style systems ‘light-rail’ whereas street-running LRTs are called ‘tramways’.)

Hmmmm. This sounds familiar.

In fact, the BAPE’s conclusion is a direct reflection of the failure of surface-oriented light rail proposals to deliver solid business cases and strong local enthusiasm, a topic that our organization has frequently drawn attention to since our founding in 2012. Across North America and the world, LRT systems with a largely surface-oriented design have contributed to the prevalence of major issues such as:

• Street-choking congestion from crossing trains in Edmonton.
• Worsening the dependency on the automobile in Calgary.
• Deadly and disruptive accidents and collisions in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Seattle, Sacramento, San Jose, Baltimore, and others.
• Funding issues affecting the entire city, like when Portland removed its LRT free fare zone and made huge cuts due to lack of ridership
• A failure to change commuter habits and discourage driving, per Edmonton’s experience and this British study in 2013.

As the City of Surrey begins the process of creating a new transportation plan, important questions must be raised about the future of rapid transit in the city, including expansions and new lines that will be built after the 16-kilometre Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. The Quebec government’s decision to scrap the proposed surface light rail in Quebec City shows why we should not re-consider an at-grade LRT system in Surrey on corridors such as King George Blvd, where a much high standard of service is necessary—such as through grade-separated rail.