High-Speed Trains Between Montreal & Toronto Have Never Been Closer To Becoming Reality

The proposal to bring high-speed rail to Canada is inching forward. The Toronto City Council has voted to support a call for world-class rail service between southern Ontario and Quebec. That project would finally mean fast trains between Toronto and Montreal that could cut the trip down to just two hours and 18 minutes, councillors say.

The adoption of the March 29 Toronto City Council motion means the high-speed rail (HSR) proposal now has the backing of Canada's two biggest cities. The Montreal City Council voted unanimously in favour of HSR on February 20.

The cities have little power to actually make it a reality, however. That's up to the federal government, which is pursuing an already-ambitious project to bring "high-frequency" rail (HFR) to the Toronto–Quebec corridor. That project involves finding new track routes between and through Canada's largest urban areas. Right now, VIA Rail shares tracks with freight traffic.

The council motions in Toronto and Montreal urge federal officials to think bigger.

So far, Canada Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra has said the government is "open" to HSR, but hasn't committed to the project.

The Toronto and Montreal motions say Canada needs more "significant" rail investment to meet emission reduction targets.

They also cite the potentially "enormous" economic and cultural boon HSR could be for major Canadian cities.

Councillors further call out Quebec and Ontario's combined $56 billion budget for road network improvements, a sum municipal officials say "represents approximately twice the cost of a high-speed train between Quebec and Toronto."