Feds take steps to procure high frequency rail project
If everything goes according to plan, procurement for Canada’s first high-frequency passenger rail line could begin this fall.
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was one of a series of representatives on hand in Quebec City to announce that the government was about to embark on a series of steps to prepare for the procurement process to build a new train service in the Toronto to Quebec City corridor.
The steps include engaging Indigenous groups and communities to obtain feedback on the project, engaging with the private sector to determine capacity and seek perspectives on the best possible delivery model, and accelerating dialogue with partner railways to negotiate dedicated routes in and out of city centres.
The federal government plans to finalize the delivery model and launch the process to select a private partner in the fall.
“Canadians deserve a fast and reliable train service,” said Alghabra. “Today, we are taking the first steps in preparing for the procurement process to build a new train service in the Toronto to Quebec City Corridor. High Frequency Rail in the Toronto to Quebec City Corridor is a massive transportation project with the potential to transform passenger rail service by offering faster, more reliable, more frequent, and cleaner transportation service.”
The government’s plan is to develop a high-frequency rail line between Toronto and Quebec City. VIA Rail first proposed the plan in 2016, and the government has taken a series of steps since then to fund various assessments of the proposal. Those steps culminated with two funding commitments in the federal government’s 2021 budget. One, worth $4.4 million, will be used to complete the necessary analysis and assessment of options to reduce project risks. The other commits $491.2 million over six years for infrastructure investments that would lay the groundwork for reducing bottlenecks and improving fluidity along the line.
It is not yet known how much the entire high frequency rail project could cost.
“Since proposing High Frequency Rail more than five years ago, VIA Rail has been working tirelessly to ensure it becomes a reality,” said VIA Rail Canada president and CEO Cynthia Garneau. “We are pleased with the decisive steps that have been announced as it brings us closer to that objective and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the federal government as a strong partner in delivering High Frequency Rail. It’s time to provide Canadians with a nation-building, growth-generating and environmentally friendly project which will transform the way present and future generations live and travel.”
The High Frequency Rail proposal involves building dedicated passenger rail tracks that would significantly shorten travel times along the route. A dedicated passenger track would allow a travel speed up to 200 kilometres per hour, which could cut travel times between Ottawa and Toronto, for example, by as much as 90 minutes.
A high-frequency line would also ensure 95 percent of route would be on time (as compared to 67 percent currently), create more direct routes between key cities, enable services to locations such as Peterborough, Trois-Rivières and Laval, offer more frequent departures between cities, and run on electrified technology.
The service is expected to more than triple the number of annual trips taken by rail in the Toronto to Quebec City corridor, from 4.8 million in 2019 to a projected 17 million by 2059.
If enacted, the High Frequency Rail project would be the largest transportation infrastructure project built in Canada in decades.
Featured image: VIA Rail passenger train. (VIA Rail)