Ottawa and CN reach agreement to buy back the Pont de Québec

The federal government has reached an agreement to buy back the Pont de Québec from the Canadian National Railway (CN).

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez confirmed the agreement Thursday morning, saying an official announcement is coming.

"I want to thank everyone for their work," said Rodriguez. "We have good news for Quebec City very soon."

In December, Jean-Yves Duclos, the minister of public services and procurement, told Radio-Canada that the federal government had sent an offer to CN to buy the bridge.

The bridge was privatized in 1993 and is the property of CN, which manages the bridge, although the Quebec government is the bridge's main tenant. In 2019, the federal government said it intended to buy back the structure.

The structure has deteriorated over the years and, as of 2022, its estimated maintenance and repair costs surpassed $785 million.

Bridge's beauty 'leaves you wanting more,' says mayor

The agreement is good news for Gilbert Tessier, with Avenir du pont de Québec, an organization that aims to push lawmakers to come up with a long-term vision for the bridge.

"This was one of the principal recommendations that we presented," said Tessier.

He says getting to this point has been a long process.

As of now, he says the bridge is safe, but it is rusted, and in the long term will require maintenance for safety as well as aesthetics.

"If you pass by it, you will see it's solid but its beauty leaves you wanting more," said Quebec City mayor, Bruno Marchand.

He says he is eager to hear the official announcement in the coming days.