The Canadian Government has announced plans to build a high frequency electric rail line between Toronto and Quebec City.
Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra made the announcement earlier this week onboard a VIA Rail train travelling from Toronto to Montreal.
“It will increase the speed of up to 200km/h, and it will increase the frequency for passengers like yourselves and transform the connection between these cities,” Alghabra said over the train’s announcement system.
VIA Rail said trains along the new high frequency line would be able to travel at speeds of up to 177-200km/h. This would cut travel times along the route by as much as 25% and improve on-time performance by 95%.
Even though the speed of the trains will be higher than what trains currently travel at in Canada, the speeds will still be lower than what is typically associated with “high speed” train networks in other parts of the world.
With the announcement, the government plans to launch the procurement process this fall. The cost for the project could run as high as $10-12 billion, and might not be complete until as late as 2030.
Special announcement onboard @Via_Rail train #64, with destination to Montreal:
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Annonce spéciale à bord du train @VIA_Rail n°64, à destination de Montréal : pic.twitter.com/zMrBoK53mU
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) July 5, 2021
Source: CBC News
