Canada’s government has granted a CA$3.9 billion (A$4.3 billion) contract to develop a high-speed passenger rail network to a consortium including Air Canada, Systra, and AtkinsRealis.
The network, known as Alto, would span the area from Toronto to Quebec City, passing through cities like Montreal and Ottawa. The project would halve the travel time between Toronto and Montreal to just three hours, the Canadian government said.
“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,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada has allocated CA$3.9 billion for the project over the next six years, as well as $371.8 million from its 2024 budget. Canada’s government has not yet said when Alto is likely to be completed.
The Cadence consortium assigned to the project also includes Keolis, SNCF Voyageurs, and Quebec’s pension fund CDPQ. CDPQ is financing the construction of Montreal’s Réseau Express Métropolitain light rail system, with eight new stations and two new branches set to open this year.
The Toronto-Quebec City corridor hosts 18 million residents, about 44% of the country’s population, and makes up 40% of Canada’s GDP. Alto will span around 1,000 kilometres.
Its trains will be fully electric, and will reach speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour. Japan’s Shinkansen trains operate at speeds from 300 to 320 km/h, while China’s CRH380A Hexie, the world’s fastest passenger train, runs between 350 to 380 km/h.
Alto will boost the country’s GDP by up to CA$35 billion annually, Canada’s government projected, and create more than 51,000 jobs during its construction.
Trudeau announced last month that he would step down as prime minister and leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, with a new leader to be chosen on 9 March. The country’s next election is due by 20 October, though all three opposition parties have said they will support a no-confidence vote later in March.
“High-speed rail in this country was always going to be a project that would take long enough to build that it would cover multiple governments,” Trudeau said. “It takes a will and a determination by a government to move forward and lock in this progress.”
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