Estimated travel times along high-speed rail Ontario-Quebec Breaking: Transport Minister Announces Construction Timeline for Nation's First High-Speed Rail Network In a landmark announcement that marks a pivotal moment for Canadian transportation infrastructure, the Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, has revealed that the Ottawa-Montreal corridor will be the first segment constructed as part of Canada's ambitious Alto high-speed rail project. MacKinnon, joined by Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of Alto, confirmed that construction is slated to begin in 2029-2030. Why Ottawa-Montreal Makes Strategic Sense The selection of the Ottawa-Lavel- Montreal route as the inaugural segment is both practical and strategic. Spanning approximately 200 kilometres, this corridor was selected because it is the shortest and most technically simple segment. It offers the quickest route to getting shovels in the ground and t...

  On July 10th, 2024, VIA HFR, a federal Crown corporation created in November 2022, had its inaugural Annual Public Meeting (APM). The meeting was bilingual format and it was webcast. The video will be loaded soon and High Speed Rail Canada will let have a link to it and let their followers know where to view it. The meeting featured key presentations from members of the Board of Directors and the CEO. The meeting began with Robert Prichard, Chair of the Board, who outlined the mandate given to VIA HFR by the Government of Canada to create a new passenger rail service linking Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Montreal, Ottawa, Peterborough, and Toronto. He highlighted the significant progress made in the first year, including the formation of a talented management team and strong financial backing from the federal government. Marie-José Nadeau, Vice Chair of the Board, discussed the recruitment efforts to build VIA TGF’s leadership team and emphasized the project’s positive impa...

ICE - InterCity Express High-Speed Trains in Munich Germany - credit Paul Langan It is refreshing to continually hear Martin Imbleau, the CEO of VIA HFR, speak about the need for speed regarding the Toronto-Quebec City Corridor. During a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Martin Imbleau unveiled an ambitious plan for a rapid passenger rail project between Quebec City and Toronto. This project has seen significant advancements with the establishment of a new federal Crown corporation dedicated solely to its development. It is worth noting that this is the most substantial transportation infrastructure initiative in Canada since the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway more than six decades ago. High Speed Rail Canada Continues to Support Martin Imbleau in his goal for increased speeds for the HFR project. The proposed railway network will span approximately 1,000 kilometers, featuring dedicated tracks that are fully electrified. The route will include stops i...

  Martin Imbleau CEO of VIA HFR is on the Right Track  Martin Imbleau is the CEO of Via HFR Inc., a wholly owned Crown corporation that will report to Parliament through the Minister of Transport. He is giving interviews to the public about the challenges they face implementing faster, modern passenger rail service between Quebec and Ontario. It is refreshing to hear such straightforward, frank, open discussion on the issues facing the High-Frequency Rail project. Mr. Imbleau is quick to highlight the biggest challenge, which is, how to enter and exit the big cities quickly. He also has stated on numerous occasions that “It's not about frequency only. It's about being fast. It's about being reliable.” He even realizes the singular-focused name of the project "High Frequency Rail" needs to be changed. What a difference in Mr. Imbleau’s approach to that of the former VIA Rail CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, now a Siemens employee.  During his tenure at VIA, Desjardi...