The first leg of the federal government’s planned
high-speed rail project
will connect Ottawa and Montreal.
Transport Minister Steven Mackinnon made the announcement Friday morning alongside several Ottawa politicians and Martin Imbleau, CEO of Alto, the crown corporation overseeing the project.
“We want to begin construction of this major project, one of the largest public works ever contemplated in the history of our country,” MacKinnon said.
He said construction is expected to begin in 2029.
Mackinnon said the Ottawa-Montreal segment, spanning approximately 200 kilometres between the two cities, is the most logical place to start the project.
It is relatively short and straight, he said, providing an opportunity for construction teams in Ontario and Quebec to develop the skills they need to build out the rest of the network.
The full rail line would eventually span about 1,000 km from Toronto to Quebec City and trains are expected to reach speeds of up to 300 km/hr.
A high-speed rail line in the Quebec City to Windsor corridor has been proposed and studied repeatedly over the years.
The current project, which is expected to cost somewhere between $60 billion and $90 billion, was originally launched by the Trudeau government last year.
More to come.
