Toronto will soon have 200 km/h trains connecting to Quebec City

Trains will soon zip along the over 1,000-kilometre stretch between Toronto and Quebec City at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

Transport Canada announced a major step forward in its High Frequency Rail project on Friday, advancing the project that will span the Quebec City to Toronto rail corridor with dedicated passenger tracks capable of supporting lightning-fast speeds.

Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez announced the project’s next steps, launching a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to secure bids.

“The launch of the Request for Proposals for the High Frequency Rail project marks a significant milestone,” said Rodriguez, promising that “In the future, more Canadians will choose to travel by rail because the HFR will lead to faster train journeys, more frequent departures, and greener travel.”

These RFP bids will be evaluated by the federal government, which will then select a winning private developer partner to work collaboratively with VIA HFR to design and develop the High Frequency Rail project.

Bidders will be required to develop two solutions to the current speed issue on the corridor, including the need for trains with maximum speeds of 200 km/h as well as the requirement for high-speed segments that allow faster travel.

Costs and benefits will then be analyzed to determine the viability of incorporating high-speed rail on segments of the corridor.

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The project crossed a major milestone this past summer when a trio of successful teams were announced following the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) stage of the procurement process.

Throughout the project’s planning, the federal government, as well as VIA HFR (a wholly-owned subsidiary of VIA Rail) have taken great care to avoid calling their project a true “high-speed rail” line, instead leaning on the high-frequency designation.

Rail advocacy group High Speed Rail Canada is among the voices that have pushed for true high-speed service on the corridor.

The group recently shared a presentation and maps corresponding with a bid from rolling stock manufacturer Alstom to run its new line of TGV high-speed trains on a modified HFR route with speeds of up to 300 km/h.

However, this proposal did not make the list of successful RFQ proponents this past summer, which included consortiums Cadence (CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin, Systra Canada, Keolis Canada), Intercity Rail Developers (Intercity Development Partners, EllisDon, Kilmer Transportation, First Rail Holdings, Jacobs, Hatch, CIMA+, First Group, RATP Dev, Renfe Operadora), and QConnexiON Rail Partners (Fengate, John Laing, Bechtel, WSP, Deutsche Bahn).

Martin Imbleau, CEO of VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc., states that “By moving passenger trains onto their own dedicated tracks, we’ll offer faster, more frequent trains that arrive reliably on time,” promising that the new HFR project will “help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.”