The extensive light rail network proposed by the mayor's transportation task force is "visionary" but will need extra federal and provincial money to build, say members of Ottawa's transit and transportation committees.

The task force unveiled a plan two weeks ago that includes multiple light rail lines that would extend as far as Carp, Gatineau, Cumberland, Alexandria, Mitch Owens Road and Smiths Falls by 2017, using mostly existing track and rail corridors and passing under downtown via a tunnel.

Councillors discussed the plan — and how the city would pay for it — at a joint committee meeting at city hall on Wednesday.

The task force didn't provide a price tag for the vision, but members estimated it would cost less than $900 million.

Earlier, the federal and provincial governments agreed to contribute $200 million each to a much shorter north-south Ottawa light rail line that was to cost $788 million.

But Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bédard suggested Wednesday that those earlier federal and provincial commitments wouldn't be enough to pay for the new plan.

"Linking the outlying areas is going to be a huge enterprise," he said. "It means that ... federal and provincial money [is] going to have to be added to that amount."

Bay Coun. Alex Cullen said the city needs a new deal with upper levels of government.

"The original commitments were based on a plan that is no longer there," he said.

"We are going to be coming up with a new plan and it clearly means going back to our funders once we develop the plan."

Nevertheless, the committees gave the plan glowing reviews.

"It's a visionary document. I take it in that light," said Coun. Jacques Legendre, who represents Rideau-Rockcliffe.

Arena link missing

Meanwhile, task force member Hume Roger noted that the plan contains a number of errors and omissions. For example, he said, it does not include a link to Scotiabank Place, the Ottawa Senators' arena.

"I think that rather than dissect the document line by line and find all of those errors and omissions, the best way to approach this document is as a vision," he said.

The city's original light rail line was to run from Barrhaven to the University of Ottawa.

After council killed that project in December, Mayor Larry O'Brien appointed a seven-member task force to come up with a new plan.