Ottawa won't commit yet to funding Montreal's light-rail system

Supporters of aproposed light-rail system for Montreal will have to waituntil next year before finding out if the federal government will help fund the project.

• Ambitious light rail project for Montreal proposed by Caisse de dpt

Quebec's pension fund, the Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec, announced on Friday that it was committing $3 billion to building an extensive transit network that would link the West Island, the South Shore and Pierre-Elliott TrudeauAirport to downtown.

The67-kilometre rail line would connect 24 stations, with the first trains scheduled to roll by 2020.

• ANALYSIS:New light rail system for Montreal by 2020. Seriously?

The Caisse estimatesanother $2.5 billion will be needed to complete the project, which will likely come from the provincial and federal governments.

Quebec has already said it will pitch in, though it hasn't yet provided an amount.Ottawa, though, has yet to offer a firm commitment.

"Minister [Amarjeet]Sohi recently met with Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec to learn more about this project," Infrastructure CanadaspokespersonJames Chow told CBC Montreal in an email.

"The federal government looks forward to receiving a funding request, which will beanalyzedin detail."

In its first budget, the federal Liberals laid the groundwork for a $3.4 billionPublic Transit Infrastructure Fund. That fund includedan allotment of $775 millionfor public transit projects in Montreal over the next three years.

But the light-rail system won't be considered forthis firstround of funding. It will have to wait until Ottawa releases furtherdetailsabout its infrastructure spendingplans.

"The parameters of Phase 2 will be made public within the next year and it is under this second phase that investments in new transit projects such as the one announced [Friday] will be considered," Chow said.

A centrepiece of the recent federal budget was the promise to devote $120 billion over the next 10 yearsto updating Canada'sinfrastructure.

Of that,$60 billion has been set aside forpublic transit, green infrastructureand social infrastructure projects.

• Where would Montreal's 24 new light rail stations be located?