High-speed rail linking Toronto and Quebec City to begin construction by 2032, CEO says

Alto CEO Martin Imbleau said the Montreal–Ottawa segment is expected to begin construction in 2029 or 2030, and the eastern and western stretches are likely to start about two years later, around 2032.

Martin Imbleau, CEO of the Crown corporation Alto, said construction on eastern and western sections of a planned high-speed rail network is expected to start by 2032. He spoke in Montreal and said those stretches would likely begin about two years after work starts on an initial segment. The first phase would link Montreal and Ottawa and is expected to start in 2029 or 2030 as a test case. The proposal envisions a roughly 1,000-kilometre dedicated network with trains running up to 300 kilometres an hour. Key details: - Martin Imbleau said the eastern and western parts will likely begin about two years after the initial construction period, placing them around 2032. - The first segment between Montreal and Ottawa is scheduled to start construction in 2029 or 2030 and is described as roughly 200 kilometres long. - Engineering work on the Toronto–Ottawa and Montreal–Quebec City stretches is planned to proceed during construction of the Montreal–Ottawa track. - Alto aims to locate stations near downtown in Toronto and Montreal, with Union Station and Central Station under consideration. - The article reports the full plan would be about 1,000 kilometres with trains up to 300 km/h, reducing travel times to roughly three hours between Toronto and Montreal and under one hour between Montreal and Ottawa. Summary: The timeline sets a staged rollout beginning with the Montreal–Ottawa segment in 2029 or 2030 and wider construction around 2032. A three-month public consultation is due to start later this month. Imbleau signaled a small adjustment to the initial timeline and emphasized maintaining focus on the first segment as the project proceeds.