Shaping the Canada of tomorrow with high-speed rail

The train we need

Alto’s aim is to build the country’s first high-speed rail network that will run at speeds of 300 km/h or more to efficiently connect major cities in the Toronto–Québec City corridor.

Fast, reliable and frequent: Alto will reinvent the way we travel and transform our daily lives, our economy and our future.

The network of nearly 1,000 kilometres of dedicated railway tracks will allow travellers to easily reach Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Québec City; a population base of over 18 million people, nearly half of Canada’s population.

Why the need for high-speed rail?

The current transportation infrastructure is struggling to keep up with population growth and meet increased travel demand. High-speed rail is a sustainable and efficient solution, with major benefits for present and future generations:

• Reduce travel times between cities by half compared to current train trips with travel times that compare favourably to cars and planes.
• Create jobs: the project will create tens of thousands of jobs at every stage, including more than 50,000 jobs during construction.
• Stimulate the regional economy: Alto will generate an annual economic impact of $24.5 billion.
• Improve quality of life: Alto will bring families closer together and give them greater access to jobs, education and leisure, in addition to enabling them to settle in less expensive areas while remaining connected to major centres, to reduce transportation and housing costs.
• Contribute to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples: our meaningful relations will integrate cultural knowledge and elements into the project, in addition to favouring long-lasting socio-economic benefits, in the form of jobs and business opportunities.
• Reduce traffic congestion and GHG emissions: Alto will remove the equivalent of 100,000 cars from the roads each year in the Québec City–Toronto corridor, thus helping to relieve the pressure on road networks.
• Increase travel safety: reduce road accidents by providing a safe intercity transportation alternative.

Participate in the public consultation to contribute to the project

Alto is moving ahead at high speed and we would like to hear your views on the corridor under study and your considerations on the various aspects of the project. Your feedback is essential to informing ongoing analysis, ensuring the most harmonious integration into the community and creating maximum positive impact for our communities.

Four simple ways to participate:

1. Complete the survey
2. Provide your feedback on the interactive map
3. Attend an in-person or virtual information meeting
4. Submit a brief

The floor is yours!

Explore the key themes of the Alto Project

Check out our in-depth content on the various key themes to learn more about the different aspects of the Alto project. This information will help you make an informed contribution to the public consultation process.

Toronto–Québec City corridor under study

Investing in a sustainable future

Alto network: Designed for performance, with safety in mind

Building a more prosperous economy

Get to your destination in half the time!

Imagine a network that will transform the mobility of Canadians. With Alto, travel will become fast, simple and enjoyable. The high-speed rail network will enable you to get to your destination in half the time compared to using the train today:

Travel time with high-speed rail *

Ottawa–Toronto	~2 hours
Montréal–Toronto	~3 hours
Montréal–Ottawa	~1 hour
Montréal–Québec City	~1.5 hours

A network driving reconciliation with Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are key partners in the development of the Alto high-speed rail network. From the beginning of the project, discussions were held based on respect, listening and collaboration. This is a unique opportunity to include Indigenous knowledge and values in the design of the network.

Alto focuses on four strategies to contribute to reconciliation:

1. Build meaningful relations with Indigenous communities and organizations, engaging in open and respectful dialogue;
2. Respect the constitutional duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate Indigenous groups—in particular through the impact assessment process—to ensure free, prior and informed consent;
3. Favour socio-economic benefits in the form of mutually beneficial employment, business and economic development opportunities;
4. Ensure the financial participation of Indigenous communities and the development of lasting legacies. With jointly developed proposals, Alto wants to ensure that they can contribute to the project both economically and over the long term.

Timeline and milestones

We are currently in the development and pre-construction phase, which includes:

• Corridor analyses to determine the most appropriate route
• Detailed design of the electrified rail network
• Collaboration with stakeholders, including provincial and municipal authorities
• Public consultations, including with Indigenous communities, to incorporate community aspirations

• Environmental studies and the impact assessment process to obtain the necessary approvals for construction

The duration of the development and pre-construction phase is estimated at four years, until 2029-2030. The high-speed rail proposal will then be submitted to the Government of Canada for approval to proceed.

Construction will be carried out in phases, each estimated to last between 8 and 10 years. Commissioning will also be progressive, as soon as a section is completed. The first section will connect Ottawa to Montréal. This segment, which spans two provinces, offers a shorter and technically simpler route.

This approach makes it possible to develop the expertise needed to expand the network more quickly in both directions, while giving local communities the opportunity to benefit sooner from the advantages of high-speed rail.

Let’s chart the course of the future together

Your voice matters and brings our cities and lives closer together.

Alto is driven by the engagement of citizens, communities and experts. Every idea, every question, every shared memory will help build a network that reflects who we are and meets Canadians’ present and future needs.

Thank you for taking part in this great dialogue and for conceptualizing with us a future where fast, safe, sustainable and comfortable travel is possible.

The future of transportation in Canada is being built today, thanks to your participation.

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