Canada Plans To Build A New High-Frequency Rail Service From Toronto To Quebec City

There are plans to build a new Canadian high-frequency rail service for the Toronto-Montreal-Quebec City corridor. 

"The Government of Canada is taking the first steps in preparing for the procurement process to build a new train service in the Toronto to Quebec City Corridor," Transport Canada announced in a press release on Tuesday.

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While there are several steps and consultations with "Indigenous groups and communities" to undertake before accepting proposals in fall 2021, the government plans to build "dedicated passenger rail tracks which would provide many key benefits to travellers." 

These include, according to the government: 

• "shorter travel times and faster trains that would reduce average trip times between Toronto and Ottawa by up to 90 minutes;

• "more reliable on-time arrival performance up to 95 percent from a current average of 67 percent;

• "more direct routes with improved connectivity between cities and to other modes of transportation;

• "new services to certain communities, such as Peterborough, Trois-Rivières, and Laval, and new stations in targeted locations including near Jean Lesage Airport;

• "more frequent departures between cities; and"

• "a cleaner travel option using electrified technology."

"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," said Canada's Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra.

This article's cover image is used for illustrative purposes only.