The Canadian government announced on Friday its progress towards establishing the country’s inaugural high-speed rail system, beginning with a segment linking Montreal to Ottawa. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon hailed this development as a significant milestone for Canada. The planned corridor, spanning 1,000 kilometers from Toronto to Quebec City, will allow trains to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h.
The decision to prioritize the 200-kilometer Montreal-Ottawa route was based on geographical factors, as it is the shortest and most level section of the proposed corridor. The line will include a stop in Laval, Quebec. Despite longstanding promises from politicians, MacKinnon assured that the project would move forward swiftly, with construction set to commence on the Montreal-Ottawa segment in 2029.
The implementation of a high-speed rail connection between Montreal and Toronto has been a subject of discussion for years. MacKinnon emphasized the significance of this initiative, labeling it as one of the largest infrastructure projects in Canadian history. The high-speed rail line is expected to halve travel time between Montreal and Ottawa, reducing the journey to just an hour.
While the exact route has yet to be finalized, consultations with the public to determine the optimal path are scheduled to start in January. Construction on the remaining segments, linking Quebec City to Montreal and Ottawa to Toronto, will commence at a later date. Environmental assessments and consultations for these sections will begin well in advance of the completion of the initial phase.
The multi-billion-dollar high-speed rail project, estimated to cost between $60 billion and $90 billion, was initiated by the Trudeau administration last February and now forms a crucial component of the government’s infrastructure agenda. Martin Imbleau, CEO of Alto overseeing the project, mentioned that estimating the cost of the Ottawa-Montreal corridor was challenging. The first leg will serve as a testing ground, accounting for a quarter of the total line in terms of distance.
The Conservative opposition criticized the project for its perceived high cost and slow implementation. Environmental Defence, an advocacy group, expressed support for the initiative, highlighting its potential to offer an alternative to short flights and road travel.
The high-speed rail system aims to reduce travel time between Montreal and Toronto to three hours, significantly shorter than the current duration of over five hours. Leslie Woo, CEO of CivicAction and an urban planner, raised concerns about the project’s timeline, emphasizing the importance of extending service to the Greater Toronto Area to maximize benefits.
The project is managed by Alto, with construction awarded to the Cadence consortium, which includes prominent entities like CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRéalis, Air Canada, and SNCF Voyageurs. The planned high-speed rail network represents a substantial step towards modernizing Canada’s transportation infrastructure.
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