The government says it will invest $3.9 billion over six years to fund the project
Feb 19, 20254:37 PM EST
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The Government of Canada has outlined a new high-speed rail network that will be built between Toronto and Quebec City.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed the project, officially named ‘Alto,’ at a press conference in Montreal, noting that it will span over 1,000 km and feature electric trains capable of travelling over 300 km/h. In Montreal, Trudeau called the project a “game changer,” as it will cut travel time between Toronto and Montreal — which normally exceeds five hours on VIA Rail trains — to three hours.
The Alto network would pass through Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. The government notes that the Toronto-Quebec City corridor is home to 18 million people, 40 percent of Canada’s GDP, over 700,000 students, and more than 30 colleges and universities.
The Prime Minister’s Office says it will invest $3.9 billion over six years to finance co-development, which is in addition to the $371.8 million that the government allocated for the project in its 2024 budget. The government says it expects a high-speed rail line to boost GDP by up to $35 billion annually and create over 51,000 “good-paying” jobs.
“Nearly half of our nation’s population lives here,” Transport Minister Anita Anand added. “The existing transportation system has not kept pace. High-speed rail will be the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history.”
It should be noted that this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a so-called “bullet train” to connect Toronto and Quebec City. In 2021, the Trudeau government unveiled early plans for the rail corridor, which it estimated would cost between $6 and $12 billion. However, the government had since been looking for partnership bids, making this the first notable update in years.
It also remains to be seen whether the next prime minister would support the project, given that Trudeau is soon set to step down. There’s also skepticism about whether the project would be realized even with new leadership, given that there have been talks for decades now about some sort of high-speed train line between Ontario and Quebec.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: Government of Canada
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