It appears Montreal might be edging closer to getting a new multi-billion dollar transit system.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Saturday that the government is keenly interested in helping pay for an electric train network proposed in the Greater Montreal area.

Trudeau said the local light-rail project and its eco-friendly nature fall in line with the Liberals’ campaign promise to invest in infrastructure.

“These are exactly the kind of projects we’re excited about,” Trudeau said at the Liberal convention in Montreal."

The ambitious project, proposed by Quebec’s pension fund, the Caisse de Depot, would run for 67 kilometres across Montreal, from the Trudeau airport to Laval to the South Shore, and link 24 stations across the city.

The project is estimated to cost $5.5 billion. The Caisse said it is willing to put forward up to $3 billion and would require $2.5 billion of federal and provincial money to complete the project.

Trudeau signalled that Ottawa is ready to talk.

“We’re looking forward to working with la Caisse de Dépôt to look at how the federal government can be a good partner in this great project. It’s a really positive project for Montrealers,” Trudeau said.

Similar to Vancouver’s subway line, the Montreal train would be fully automated. Trains would run for 20 hours per day, seven days a week and connect the outer reaches of the city to each other.

The goal is to have trains running by 2020.

While trains would not require drivers, the project would create 7,500 jobs during the four-year construction period, the Caisse said.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has thrown his support behind the proposal and called for other levels of government to step up to the plate.

"I'm asking the governments of Canada and Quebec to fund this proposal, and I know Premier Philippe Couillard will be willing to fund this," Coderre said last week.

As part of its mandate, the Quebec pension fund often invests in projects in hopes of bringing in a return for its members.

Caisse president Michael Sabia has said the project will only break ground if it is greenlit by the municipal government, if it receives financial support from all levels of government, and if it meets Quebec’s environmental standards.

Sabia added that the new transit line would stimulate plenty of economic benefits for the city.

"The people will win, the economy will win, the environment will win," he said.

With files from CTV Montreal