The start of high-speed rail in Canada
Project leaders explain how the Alto high-speed rail service can benefit Canadians
The Toronto-Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, also known as Alto, held a public open house on Jan. 22, to introduce its high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Toronto.
The proposed rail line would connect Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City to meet the increasing travel needs in the area. The trains would travel at speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour on dedicated tracks, seeking to reduce travel times and improve network efficiency.
Ville-Marie city councillor Christopher McCray said that the project is finally advancing after years of discussion.
“For a long time, high-speed rail in Canada felt very far away,” McCray said. “Now we have a better idea of where it might go and what kind of technology will be used, which makes it exciting.”
McCray added that the project would be different from current train services because it would run on its own tracks. This would reduce delays typically caused by sharing tracks with freight trains, as well as make travel more predictable.
“It would allow people to travel between Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec City faster and more efficiently,” he said.
McCray also pointed to environmental benefits of a high-speed railway system, saying that Alto could reduce car usage.
“This is a more sustainable way to travel,” McCray said. “It can help reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Pierre-Yves Boivin, Alto’s chief communications and engagement officer, said the project focuses on improving connections in Canada’s most populated region.
“This corridor includes about 18 million people,” Boivin said. “Right now, transportation between these cities is not fluid enough, and we need better connectivity.”
Boivin said the high-speed rail service will cut travel times nearly in half and offer frequent departures, with trains expected to run every 30 minutes. He believes this will make the service competitive with cars and planes.
According to Alto’s website, the project could contribute up to 11 per cent of the country’s annual GDP, or $24.5 billion, and create more than 50,000 jobs during its construction.
Boivin said that building the network is complex and that choosing a route that connects seven cities while limiting environmental and community impact demands careful planning.
Public reactions to the project
Marwan Shalaby, an economics student at Concordia University, said that the service would be useful for people with busy schedules like him, explaining that traveling often can be difficult with slower transit options.
“It would benefit me,” Shalaby said. “I like to change scenery and visit my friends in different cities.”
Others agree, with Montreal permanent resident Axel Domguia Yonkeu saying the service would be a good option for people without cars.
“I don’t have a car, so I would take the train often,” Yonkeu said. “I have never taken VIA Rail, but I would definitely try Alto.”
Still, Shalaby said he’s waiting to know more about ticket prices and how winter weather will affect the new Alto services.
“It will be faster than VIA Rail, but we still need to see how reliable and affordable it is,” he said.
Next steps for Alto
For now, the project is still in the planning and consultation phase. The federal government will decide whether to approve construction once this phase is completed.
“We have a team of about 500 people working on this project,” Boivin said. "There's a big budget that was committed by the federal government to develop the concept and the project.”
CEO of Alto Martin Imbleau told CBC that the Alto high-speed rail could take 15 to 18 years to complete.
According to Boivin, despite the work that remains, the project is “real and moving forward,” and will change how people travel between cities.
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