Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will invest an initial $3.9 billion for the development phase of a high-speed rail network in the Toronto-Quebec City corridor, which will take six years to build.
“We hear too often about delays or the lack of a special railway line for passengers. This is going to change. Today, I’m announcing the launching of Alto, the greatest, most ambitious infrastructure project in history,” Trudeau said during a press conference in Quebec on Feb. 19.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the rail network would span 1,000 km and reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, and would include stops in Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Montréal, Ottawa, Peterborough, and Toronto.
The rail would cut travel times by around half, going from Montreal to Toronto in three hours. It currently takes around five hours to travel that distance by car.
The PMO estimates the train network would create over 51,000 jobs during its construction and boost GDP by up to $35 billion annually.
The consortium Cadence was chosen to build the project, which includes CDPQ Infra, SYSTRA Canada, Keolis Canada, and AtkinsRéalis, formerly known as SNC-Lavalin.
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