Canada’s plan for high-speed rail are picking up steam with a multi-billion-dollar funding boost.
The federal government announced the new funding and that a consortium has been chosen to develop the planned link between Toronto and Quebec City on Wednesday.
The project, dubbed “Alto,” would see fully electric trains transport passengers along the highly trafficked rail corridor at speeds of 300 kilometres per hour along 1,000 kilometres of track.
“A reliable, efficient high-speed rail network will be a game changer for Canadians, slashing travel times by half, getting you from Toronto to Montreal in three hours,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Montreal.
Trudeau said the train would make stops in Laval, Trois-Rivières, Montréal, Ottawa and Peterborough.
According to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office, Cadence is a consortium of “world-renowned companies” that have expertise in design, development and operation of large-scale transportation infrastructure.
As part of the announcement, Transport Minister Anita Anand said the federal government will be spending $3.9 billion over the course of five years on the latest phase of the development, with the Cadence consortium chosen to co-design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project.
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That funding is in addition to the $371.8 million provided in the 2024 budget.
Anand said the current co-development phase will occur in three stages.
The first stage of procuring the train is underway, with the bidder having been chosen.
The procurement process had been launched in 2022. Three consortiums submitted bids to tackle the project, with Cadence being the final choice.
The second co-development phase will include the design of track, route alignment, station placement, regulatory work and permissions, and consultations with Indigenous communities and the studies that are needed before construction.
“The Toronto to Quebec City corridor is a cornerstone of Canada’s economic development,” Anand said.
“Nearly half of our nation’s population lives here and the existing transportation network has not kept pace with our historic population and economic growth.
“We will be amongst our G7 partners who all have some form of high-speed rail.”
According to Martin Imbleau, the president of Alto, formal agreements will be finalized with Cadence in the coming weeks and the development phase will begin.
He said there are challenges in the Quebec City to Toronto corridor, with highways “more congested than ever” and airports “stretched,” adding that some European countries have shown the benefits of having a reduction in travel times between key cities.
“This is a bold step forward for Canada, a high-speed rail network is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” Imbleau said.
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