Justin Trudeau Announces Development of High-Speed Rail For Canada; Peterborough Listed As A Stop

Canada is developing a high-speed rail network called ‘Alto’ in the Toronto-Quebec City corridor with Peterborough as one of the stops, announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday.

Google Maps Screenshot.

The rail network will span approximately 1,000 km and reach speeds of up to 300 km/hour. Peterborough has been named one of the stops including Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City.

The rail claims that travel times will be slashed in half as Montréal to Toronto becomes a three-hour trip.

“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 Trudeau.

The Federal Government says this is the country’s largest-ever infrastructure project, claiming it will turbocharge the Canadian economy by boosting GDP by up to $35 billion annually, creating over 51,000 jobs during construction and unlocking enhanced productivity for several decades. The Government continues to say that the electrified high-speed rail will help Canada reduce its emissions and meet its climate targets.

The Liberal government launched a six-year $3.9 billion design and development plan of $3.9 billion starting in 2024-25. This is in addition to the $371.8 million provided in Budget 2024.

Cadence has been selected to co-design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project. They will collaborate and support Alto as work begins on detailed design, Indigenous consultations, land acquisition, and the environmental assessments necessary to enable construction.

This decision results from years of careful deliberations and de-risking, as well as meaningful investment from the Government of Canada, according to a press release.

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