Michael Schabas Releases High-Speed Rail Conceptual Design and Business Case for Windsor-Quebec City Corridor
Expert Railway Planner Publishes Independent High-Speed Rail Study for Canada
High-Speed Rail Canada has published a significant new document on its Ontario-Quebec Studies page LINK: a comprehensive high-speed rail conceptual design and business case for the entire Windsor-Quebec City corridor, authored by renowned railway expert Michael Schabas.
About Michael Schabas: Leading Voice in High-Speed Rail Planning
Michael Schabas brings decades of international railway expertise to Canadian transportation planning. The Canadian-born transport professional has shaped urban rail, intercity rail, high-speed rail, and long-distance railway projects across three continents, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Career Highlights
- Transport planner with extensive high-speed rail experience
- Railway operator and developer
- Consultant to major Canadian transportation agencies including VIA Rail, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Canada Infrastructure Bank, Transport Canada, and Metrolinx
- First rode the Turbo Train on the Toronto-Montreal route in the 1970s, sparking a lifelong interest in the Windsor-Quebec corridor
The 2022 VIA HFR Bidding Competition
In 2022, Schabas co-founded one of three teams invited by VIA-HFR (now operating as Alto) to bid on developing and implementing the Toronto-Quebec City high-frequency rail route. The competitive procurement process evaluated:
- Technical railway solutions
- Delivery team capabilities
- Financing plans and economic viability
Schabas's consortium finished second to Cadence, a division of CDPQ (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec). Under competition rules, all bid submissions remain confidential and undisclosed.
New Independent Study: Windsor-Quebec City High-Speed Rail Corridor
Released on January 12, 2026—strategically timed just before Alto's public consultation period—Schabas's independent study offers a comprehensive vision for high-speed rail across Ontario and Quebec.
Key Features of the Schabas Plan
Comprehensive Geographic Coverage The study addresses the complete Windsor-Quebec City corridor, including often-overlooked regions:
- Hamilton high-speed rail connections
- Niagara region rail service
- Southwestern Ontario communities
- Services beyond the original HFR/Alto competition scope
Complete Business Case Analysis The document provides detailed analysis across multiple scenarios:
- Original HFR Solution: Capital costs, operating expenses, and ridership projections
- Cadence Solution: Analysis based on publicly available information
- Schabas "Optimized" Solution: An alternative approach with comparative benefits
Economic and Financial Projections
The business case includes comprehensive estimates for:
- Capital investment requirements
- Operating cost projections
- Ridership forecasting models
- Revenue generation potential
- Broader economic benefits for the corridor
Distinction from Original Bid
Schabas emphasizes that this conceptual design differs materially from his 2022 VIA HFR/Alto bid submission. The current study draws exclusively from:
- Publicly available transportation data
- Independent research and analysis
- Schabas's professional expertise and experience
Alto Consultation and Plan Influences
Following the release of Alto's consultation documents and route maps, observers note that Alto appears to be considering several innovative elements from Schabas's publicly released plans, suggesting his work may influence the final high-speed rail design for the corridor.
Why This Matters for Canadian High-Speed Rail
This independent study provides transparency and alternative perspectives in Canada's most ambitious passenger rail project. By offering detailed technical and financial analysis, Schabas contributes valuable public discourse on:
- High-speed rail feasibility in the Windsor-Quebec corridor
- Economic development opportunities
- Transportation infrastructure investment
- Regional connectivity improvements
- Sustainable transportation alternatives
Access the Full Study
The complete "Conceptual Design and Business Case" document is now available on High-Speed Rail Canada's Ontario-Quebec Studies page, LINK offering detailed insights for transportation professionals, policymakers, and citizens interested in Canada's high-speed rail future.
Mais Windsor-Toronto n’est plus inclus dans le trajet depuis un bon bout de temps, depuis qu’Alto en est le maître d’œuvre.
ReplyDeleteAlto has said it is studying how to extend the project to serve South Western Ontario.
Delete
ReplyDeleteRe Ottawa- Peterborough
The assumptions behind the Southern route are inaccurate.
The HWY 7 corridor is a 5km wide band of sedimentary rock. In fact Hwy7 transects <5km of igneous (felsic) rock (see figure). This feature dictates the route of HWY 7 and the Trans Canada Trail and explains why both are so flat. IMO this corridor is a $10B gift to ALTO from the Geological Gods.
Your concern for the "sensitive" land along the Northern corrrdor cause you to propose a route through The UNESCO Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve and severely impacting the The UNESCO Rideau Canal World Heritage Site, both of which underpin the local economy. The route kills two birds with one stone!
I could go on. Result: Your costing in Table 4-5 is pure fiction.
Then you have the audacity to call the Southern route, the "Optimized" route. Nothing could be further from the truth based on the hard data.
This submission is fundamantally misleading to the Canadian Senate. As an engineer, if I were to present such an inaccurate and egregiously deceptive document to Canadian Senate, I would expect to be sued for perjury.
Your report has very weak foundtions: Not good for High-Speed rail.
Doctor Hyett: Back in the summer of 2021, I actually toured both corridors, by car and on foot, with the retired CEO of the company that built half of the UK's first high speed line, as well as railways in other countries. He saw massive problems building a railway aligned for 300 km/h operation along Highway 7 or across the shield. He favoured "skirting the shield". If the rock was so pliable, why does Highway 7 meander so much? I don't want to trivialize the impacts of an 800km railway, but, seriously, the Alto railway will have very limited impact on the Frontenac Arch Biosphere or the Rideau Canal. It will impact a 30m wide band, or about 0.1% of the area. There will be frequent over-bridges and wildlife crossings. Probably about a third will be in cutting, so you won't even see it. Please look on Google Earth for the high speed railways built through rural France, to see how they do it.
ReplyDeleteCanada built a train though the Rockie Mountains. How hard can it be to do it again on rock fo a much shorter duration?
DeleteWhat evidence are you basing the contention that this railway will only impact a 30m wide band? Have you consulted with an ecologist? While the proposed southern route might "only" destroy a 30m strip of interior forest habitat at the centre of the Frontenac Forests Key Biodiversity Area, including the Queen's University Biological Station's land base and multiple protected areas, the impacts on surrounding habitat will reach far beyond the immediate area. Many of the species at risk of extinction that inhabit this area require large blocks of uninterrupted forest habitat to survive and reproduce. Even with the wildlife crossings (which will be absolutely essential wherever the railway is placed), things like noise and vibrations will likely affect animal behaviour in a way that will put pressure on an irreplaceable ecosystem that is already threatened by linear infrastructure.
DeleteThankyou for your whimsical but rather flimsy response. Best not to talk geology (pliable?) and Hwy 7 definitely does not meander. I gradually and periodically drop data that refutes your response onto your LinkedIn page over the next week. Please let me know if these confirm your recollections while driving.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Schabas, I surely hope that your research into both the Northern and Southern routes involved a bit more than a drive along the roads 5 years ago. Wondering if you can share the supporting evidence for Table 4/5 in the report as it seems surprising to me as well. I'd also value seeing the detailed geological analysis you have no doubt conducted in order to reach the published recommendation for the "optimized" route.
ReplyDeleteMichael
ReplyDeleteSorry to be persistent but we are talking a lot of money here.
I would like to raise a number of points around your contention that it is easier to build HSR on the palaeozoic cover south of the shield. As you know the unconsolidated glacial till thickens to the south (terminal moraines) and is incised by rivers that increase in size as they drain down to Lake Ontario.
A figure posted on your LinkedIn page shows the topographic profiles of the route through the shield (10km + turning radius) from Carleton Place to Tweed compared with the run of similar distance from Kaladar into Peterborough (same vertical scales). You will notice that the latter shows considerably more topographic varaition which seems counter to your hypothesis. The southern (whimsical) route, where the till is even thicker (drumlin country) has even more variation and an extra 150ft of elevation loss overall.
Building on the till will be more complex with liquefaction risks, hence more and longer piles / micro-piles. By nature, it is extremely variable and characterization will require an order of magnitude more exploratory boreholes
Where there is till along the meta-sedimentary corridor on the northern route, it is of limited thickness and indicated by the frequent rock outcrops along Hwy 7.