Canadian government pledges CAN$3.9bn for country’s first high-speed railway

Image: Alto

The Cadence consortium, consisting of AtkinsRéalis, Air Canada, CDPQ Infra, Keolis, Systra, and SNCF Voyageurs, will co-design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project.

Cadence will collaborate with and support the Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed ​​Rail Network (known as Alto), as work starts on detailed design, indigenous consultations, land acquisitions and environmental assessments.

Cadence and Alto are expected to sign a contract setting out the terms of the next phase of the project shortly.

Trudeau’s office claimed that the railway would boost Canada’s GDP by up to $35 billion, with the line serving an area that is home to 18 million people and accounts for 40% of the country’s GDP.

Trains will run at speeds of up to 300km/h (186.4 mph) and stop at Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City.

Canadian passenger rail services currently run on tracks owned by freight railways, which limits the frequency of the service they offer and leads to delays, according to Trudeau’s office.

Trudeau said, “Canada is getting high-speed rail. Today’s announcement of Alto, a high-speed rail system between Toronto and Quebec City, will transform our economy – drastically shortening commute times for millions of Canadians, turbocharging economic growth, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, improving productivity, and reducing emissions.”