High-speed rail between Quebec and Toronto announced by Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has launched a six-year, $3.9-billion design and development plan for a high-speed rail line that will connect Quebec City and Toronto.
“Today I’m announcing the launch of Alto, the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history,” Trudeau said from Montreal. “A reliable, efficient, high-speed rail network will be a game-changer for Canadians.”
The PM said that the new high-speed rail line will see all-electric trains running along 1,000km (620 miles), reaching speeds of up to 300km/hour (188mph). It will have stops on Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. The project, according to a government statement, will help stimulate Canada’s economy, “boosting GDP by up to $35 billion annually, creating over 51,000 good-paying jobs during construction.”
Once built, Trudeau said, the high-speed rail network will carry passengers between Montreal and Toronto in just three hours. That is half as long as it would take to drive that distance. It also travels at double the speed of the current trains that run along the same route.
Construction will not begin until the design phase, which could be in four or five years time, is completed. Funds will be allocated at the end of that period. It is entirely possible therefore that a future government of Canada could modify or even cancel the scheme.
Trudeau announced last month that he will be stepping down as prime minster. His successor as both leader of the Liberal party and PM, will be chosen on 9th March and an election is scheduled for spring.
“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 … from municipal to provincial to federal,” Trudeau said. “Obviously, future governments will make their determinations about how they invest. But this investment in Canadians, which starts right now, is going to be very difficult to turn back on.”
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