City of Quebec Artistic representation of the tramway project, near René-Lévesque Boulevard
The City of Quebec confirms the selection of Alstom to design and manufacture the trains for its future tramway. The announcement does not come as a surprise, since the French multinational was alone in the running to obtain the contract after the withdrawal of the German Siemens.
“The parties have substantially agreed to an agreement, writes the City in a statement. They can make minor adjustments to the contract and finalize the legal documentation leading to its signature. »
The amount of the contract negotiated by mutual agreement with Alstom Transport Canada remains unknown. In addition to building the trains, the company will be responsible for maintaining them for 30 years.
The selection of the French multinational is the culmination of a bumpy journey for the tramway. The former administration of Régis Labeaume had decided to split the site in two, in June 2021, after the failure of a first call for proposals where only one bidder had expressed interest at the finish line.
The administration of Bruno Marchand chooses to go ahead with Alstom to design the rolling stock despite the withdrawal of Siemens and the absence of competition. Two consortia are still battling it out for the lucrative tram infrastructure contract, which is expected to account for around 80% of the total bill.
According to the latest estimates available, the price of the largest construction site in history of the City of Quebec is close to four billion dollars. Based on this valuation calculated before inflation spiked, the trains would cost around $800 million to build.
More details to come.
