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Anton's PPP streetcar idea a dud

To the editor: Re: "Anton's mission," Oct. 12. Suzanne Anton's advocacy of a Public-Private Partnership to finance a streetcar needs a reality check.

To the editor:

Re: "Anton's mission," Oct. 12.

Suzanne Anton's advocacy of a Public-Private Partnership to finance a streetcar needs a reality check. In his foreword to the Transport for London 2011 budget, Peter Hendy, Transport for London Commissioner, wrote: "Now that we have freed London from the scandalously costly, disruptive and wasteful Tube Public Private Partnership (PPP), we will move forward with the programme more effectively and at reduced cost and disruption to passengers. In particular, we will complete the Jubilee line upgrade, having quickly got to grips with the mess left by the PPP arrangements."

PPP schemes in transportation haven't exactly been a roaring success in the UK and other parts of the world, including Vancouver's Canada Line, especially for the public partner that ends up paying more than if it had financed and built the whole project itself.

Jean-Louis Brussac, Coquitlam