Canada plans high-speed train from Toronto to Quebec City
The first route for high-speed trains is to be built in Canada. It is the country's largest infrastructure project to date, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
French high-speed train TGV: SNCF has a stake in Alto.
(Image: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock)
From Toronto to Montréal in three hours: Canada wants to build the country's first high-speed train line. It is intended to halve the travel time between the two metropolitan areas.
The route is to be around 1,000 kilometers long and run from Toronto to Quebec City. There will be stops in Peterborough, the capital Ottawa, Montréal, Laval and Trois-Rivières. The trains will travel at a speed of more than 300 km/h. For comparison: Deutsche Bahn's ICE 4 can travel at 265 km/h. 18 million people live in the catchment area of the train route. That is almost half of the country's population.
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"Canada is getting a high-speed train", emphasized outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "From Montréal to Toronto in three hours – that's unbeatable." The journey currently takes around six hours. Passenger and freight traffic use the same route, which is why there are not as many connections and trains are often delayed.
Alto should create jobs and bring growth
Alto will be the country's largest infrastructure project to date. According to the Prime Minister, it will contribute to the country's economic growth and create 51,000 new jobs during construction. It is to be implemented by the state-owned company of the same name and the Cadence consortium. This consortium includes the airline Air Canada, the French state railroad company SNCF and the infrastructure company CDPQ Infra, which implemented the automated metro system Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in Montréal.
The project is now entering its second phase, said Transport Minister Anita Anand. In this phase, Alto and the Cadence consortium will begin with the concrete planning. Five to six years have been set aside for this. During this time, for example, the route is to be determined, permits obtained and consultations held with indigenous groups. Only then can construction work begin.
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The Canadian government has so far invested around 372 million Canadian dollars, equivalent to around 250 million euros, in the project and is providing a further 3.9 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to around 2.6 billion euros, for the planning phase. There is no information yet on when the trains will finally run between Toronto and Quebec City.
(wpl)
