QUEBEC CITY — Light rail is coming to Quebec City as part of an expansion of public transit announced this week.
The CBC reports that a 23-kilometer (14.3-mile) light rail system will be part of a more than $3 billion (Canadian) investment in Quebec City transit, which will also include 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) of dedicated bus lanes and four new park-and-ride lots. The new projects are expected to be in operation by 2026.
Funding will include C$1.8 billion ($1.4 billion) from the province of Quebec, C$1.2 billion ($900 million) from the federal government, and C$300 million ($226 million) from the city.
NextCity.org notes that the new rail line will leave Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the only one of Canada’s 10 largest metropolitan areas without rail transit.
San Antonio, Texas as well as Winnipeg, Manitoba are the only cities in their respective countries as having no rail transit among the ten largest cities in their respective countries. (They both rank 7th in size as well.) That is a dubious distinction those two cities share. [In the context of rail transit, I could not return to my native Houston soon enough when I retired from the San Antonio Public Library.]
The 2016 population was 705,000; area is 173 square miles.
Winnipeg will be the only one of Canada’s 10 largest cities without rail transit, the article says. Winnipeg isn’t a particularly large city either by population or by land mass. I don’t know the population, only that even with its suburbs Winnipeg doesn’t sprawl over a large area. If there’s any place I’ve ever been where you can pretty well walk anywhere (in good weather, anyway) it would be Winnipeg.
From what I hear Winnipeg will be slow (if ever to enbrace Rail Tranist) due to the fact that New Flyer Industries is based IN Winnipeg.