For Quebec, C$60MM to Improve Rail Transport Infrastructure

The Government of Quebec on Sept. 19 announced C$60 million in funding to maintain and improve the condition of rail transport infrastructure in Quebec.

The funding, which the government says, “will make it possible to better the meet the needs of business and support more requests,” was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Geneviève Guilbault as part of the government’s commitment to “more low-carbon transport solutions.”

According to the Government of Quebec, these investments will “make it possible, among other things, to adapt the railways to climate change, to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the railway network and the transport system in Quebec, to improve the integration of rail transport with road transport and maritime, and to continue the deployment of this sustainable mode of transport.”

According to the Railway Association of Canada (RAC), a locomotive can transport a metric ton of goods more than 220 kilometers on a single liter of fuel—the equivalent of up to 300 heavy trucks.

These new investments, the government says, are in addition to the more than C$440 million intended for the complete return to service of the railway between Vallée-Jonction and Thetford Mines by the end of fall 2025, as well as the more than C$870 million devoted to the complete rehabilitation of the Gaspésie railway, which should be completed in 2026.

“Our investments in the Quebec rail network are a clear message from our government with a view to the transition to more low-carbon transport solutions for our goods,” said Geneviève Guilbault, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. “By offering more efficient and more accessible railways, we contribute to the development of the economy of our regions. Thus, all the supported projects strengthen our freight transport chains by making them more reliable and more competitive.”

“I am delighted with my colleague’s announcement,” said Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. “We know that the transportation sector is the largest emitter of GHGs in Quebec and, in this sense, every measure counts. Today’s change has the potential to have, in the longer term, a downward effect on the number of gasoline vehicles on our roads for the transport of goods. This is another concrete gesture that demonstrates that our government is continuing its efforts to green our economy.”