PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced that Canada is developing a high-speed rail network in the Toronto-Quebec City corridor. This transformative rail network will span approximately 1,000 km and reach speeds of up to 300 km/hour, with stops in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City.

Once operational, current travel times will be slashed in half – getting you from Montréal to Toronto in three hours. The official name of this high-speed rail service will be Alto.

The Toronto-Quebec City corridor is a megaregion. It’s home to 18 million people, 40 per cent of Canada’s GDP, over 700,000 students, and more than 30 colleges and universities.

Trudeau said that as Canada’s largest ever infrastructure project, high-speed rail will turbocharge the Canadian economy – boosting GDP by up to $35 billion annually, creating over 51,000 good-paying jobs during construction, and unlocking enhanced productivity for decades to come. By connecting economic hubs at rapid speed, businesses will have more markets to sell to and workers will have more job opportunities. Electrified, high-speed rail will also help Canada reduce its emissions and meet its climate targets. By giving travellers an efficient and reliable option to get around, we will save Canadians time when they travel, boost tourism, connect communities, and spur affordable housing development across the region.

Cadence has been carefully selected to not only co-design and build, but also to finance, operate, and maintain this project. Cadence is a consortium of world-renowned companies with expertise and know-how in the design, development, and operation of large-scale transportation infrastructure. Cadence will collaborate and support Alto as work begins on detailed design, Indigenous consultations, land acquisition, and the environmental assessments necessary to enable construction, said Trudeau.

This decision is the result of years of careful deliberations and de-risking, as well as meaningful investment from the Government of Canada. Canada is the ninth-largest economy in the world and Canadians deserve the best transportation options. Canada has world-class talent, critical minerals, natural resources, a dynamic technology ecosystem, and an ambition to grow. High-speed rail in our most populated corridor is our ambition in action, Trudeau said.

Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alto, said: “I’m firmly convinced that the way a project is developed is as crucial as the project itself. Which is why we are developing it now, in collaboration with Cadence, relying on the best practices of the industry. We have assembled a unique group of talents, combining the know-how of a federal Crown corporation with the experience of a consortium of world-class private partners. Together, we will build a project that will surpass the highest expectations of Canadians.”