Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hints feds will fund Montreal light rail

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government cannot wait to examine the ambitious light rail train project proposed for the greater Montreal area by Quebec's pension fund.

It's been the strongest hint yet that the Trudeau government would financially back the project that would change the face of public transit in the city.

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"We're very anxious to work with the Caisse [de dépôt et placement du Québec] to see how the federal government could be a partner in this project," Trudeau said.

The electric, fully automated 67-kilometre rail line would connect 24 stations stretching from the South Shore to Montreal's Trudeau airport and beyond, to both the West Island and Laval by 2020.

The Caisse says it's willing to invest $3 billion in the $5.5-billion project. The province and the federal government would have to make up the rest.

Trudeau hailed the proposal as the kind of project the government is excited to invest in.

"This is one of the priorities of this government, to invest in public transit," Trudeau said.

As part of his speech to the biennial convention for the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party, Trudeau  also addressed members on the party's comeback in Quebec during the 2015 federal election.

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"Quebec is once again a strong voice within our federal government," Trudeau said to a round of applause.

The Liberals made stunning gains by sweeping 40 ridings across the province in a red wave that carried Trudeau to Ottawa.