Over 40 Years in the Making: High-Speed Rail Legislation Finally Arrives in Canada The positive momentum to building Canada's first dedicated high-speed rail in Ontario-Quebec continues with the tabling of BILL C-15 An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025 for FIRST READING, November 18, 2025. In it under Part 5 -- Various Measures - Division 1 is the High-Speed Rail Network Act . As a person who has watched the ups and downs of attempts to implement high-speed rail in Canada for over 40 years there is some optimism. The Long History of High-Speed Rail in Canada The Canadian federal government study asking the simple question in 1981 - Is there a future, a potential, for high-speed passenger rail services in Canada? That was then and nothing happened. I remember well in 2000, the ill-fated VIA Fast Study that died during the Chrétien/Martin Liberal feud. Just maybe the 2025 High-Speed Rail Network Act can finally begin ...

VIA Rail Canada 1984 High-Speed Rail in Canada Study Is there a future, a potential, for high-speed passenger rail services in Canada? That was the question the federal government posed to VIA Rail Canada in 1981. After three years of intensive effort, VIA had completed one of the most comprehensive studies ever made of any aspect of the passenger railway system in Canada. The feasibility study thus depicted possible approaches to using high-speed passenger rail advances in Canada, yet tailored specifically to Canadian conditions and needs. Pierre A.H. Franche, then President and Chief Executive Officer VIA Rail Canada in 1984 stated, “There is little doubt that consideration of high-speed rail will be a key part of longer-range national plans for modernizing Canada's passenger railway system.” 1984 High-Speed Rail Study Conclusions The 1984 feasibility study indicates that the Canadian government could, if it wished, provide Canada with a high-speed rail railway service between M...

High Speed Rail Canada to Release the flawed VIA Rail High Frequency Rail Study 9:00am 04/19/2022. We will make this study available to you as we believe that taxpayers have the right to see what they pay for.  This study is so heavily redacted the public is unable to get basic information on VIA Rail Canada's proposed High Frequency Rail Plan.  Why is VIA Rail Canada not willing to share the details of this plan with the public?  This is a NOT at study about high-speed rail.  We deserve better. http://highspeedrailcanada.com

  High Speed Rail Canada is an educational resource centre for people from around the world to access previous mainly high-speed rail studies done in Canada. A recent review of hardcopy files in the HSRC archives revealed a 1989 VIA Rail 76 page document detailing the drastic cuts by the then Conservative government. Paul Langan, founder of High Speed Rail Canada states, "Although this document is not about high-speed train service it is an important historical document on passenger rail in Canada. The public will find it useful in understanding our past passenger rail history." Click HERE to read and download the document. 

VIA Rail Canada has proposed a $4 Billion High Frequency Rail Plan. They are starting to promote the plan as the Infrastructure Bank continues the review of it. Unfortunately there are some things that VIA Rail Canada are not telling you.

It is hard to believe that VIA Rail’s $4billion dollar passenger rail plan has gotten this far in the process of consideration by Transport Canada and the federal Liberal government. The Liberal’s pre-election budget is being presented March 19th, and it is judgement day for VIA Rail’s flawed plan. New readers to our site should read the previous articles linked at the bottom of this page to learn more about this plan and why it is problematic. This 4 billion dollar debacle has VIA trains travelling at 1975 era speeds through sparsely-populated areas on an abandoned Ontario-Quebec Railway line. (Toronto - Peterborough - Ottawa). Then the line travels on to Montreal - Trois-Rivières - Québec City. Sadly, taxpayers who would fund it, cannot comment or see the proposal before the Liberal government potentially approves it. Here are some facts that should alert the public and the government to the fact that this plan is seriously flawed. FARES NOT KNOWN Amazingly VI...

More than two years after the federal government set aside $3.3 million to look into the possibility of a new, faster rail link between major cities in Ontario and Quebec, only around one 10th of that budget has actually been spent. Read this excellent article by Monique Scotti, Global News. HERE

There is a new group in Montreal waging war on the ridiculous high price fares at VIA Rail Canada. The Collective Against Empty Trains has started a petition and website in english and french . They are fighting against what many Canadians have known for years, VIA Rail's high fares keep people from taking the train. The following photo from the Empty Trains website clearly demonstrates the effect of VIA's high prices between Quebec and Montreal. Photo taken aboard the Quebec City-Montreal Train 29 on April 23rd 2018 showing two "cars" (#5 and #6) which stayed entirely empty during the whole trip. Tickets for this train were going for 69$ (one way) at the time of its departure. The Collective states that one way Quebec City-Montreal fares should always be available until all seats sell out in the 20$ range. Such a price would most certainly fill a lot of the empty train seats that are a common sight today. This fare pricing makes sense but VIA Rail's pr...

MP Irene Mathyssen Private Members Bill C-370 VIA RAIL Canada Act has been added to our list of previous VIA Rail Acts in our archives. To view the act CLICK HERE It is interesting to note as the size of this Bill is the smallest so far on VIA RAIL. Previously, Bill C-26 was 122 pages, Bill C-614 was 37 pages and this Bill C-640 is just 8 pages. What could it all mean? Enjoy reading the bill and we wish MP Mathyssen the best of luck with her bill.

James Wilt, Vice Canada - In late March, VIA Rail announced a staggeringly good deal to get a little corporate synergy behind Canada 150. Photo copyright High Speed Rail Canada For only $150, anyone between the ages of 12 and 25 could buy an unlimited youth pass for July. In other words, for around the price of one-way flight from Toronto to Montreal, you could spend an entire month riding the train back and forth between Vancouver and Halifax, up to Churchill, down to Windsor, wherever you wanted providing there was room in economy class.  But the VIA Rail website was overloaded and crashed almost immediately. Young people were on the phone for hours; one woman apparently called VIA Rail almost 200 times. As it turned out, there were only 1,867 tickets — groan — and they were snapped up almost immediately. Comparisons to the golden ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory abounded. VIA later responded to widespread outrage by bumping that number up to the far less symb...

Thanks Lesley Bernard for this photo journey through Tweed on the abandoned rail line. Good Luck VIA Rail Canada on their new route.

Somewhere near Tweed ON, photo by Greg Gormick by Lesley Bernard - As a Tweedite, I have been following this plan closely. Like with many of the other communities on the proposed route, representatives from VIA have been here too to meet with our mayor and council. The Chamber of Commerce asked council to support the plan. The mayor and council's official position is "wait and see if anything actually happens". The Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance had been under the mistaken belief that they owned the ROW but CP has always retained ownership. A fibre-optic trunk line was buried under the ROW about 15 years ago. Locals and tourists could be opposed but ownership having been retained by CP, the tracks can go back down whenever they want. In town, the ROW is intact but with some encroachment by some of the adjacent neighbours with fences and plantings. The ROW runs right thru the local lumber yard but they are in the process of getting permits to build a new facil...

Sharbot Lake Ontario - Ontario/Quebec Rail line - Now a Trans Canada Trail  Since VIA Rail still has not released detailed routes of their proposed high frequency rail route, yet want billions of taxpayer dollars to build it, we will continue to offer comments on their idea to use the old Ontario/Quebec Railway (CPR) line. Sharbot Lake was on the old railway line. It is now part of the Trans Canada trail. A quick look at the google earth map above suggests there may be some difficulties for VIA if they choose this route through Sharbot Lake!  CLICK HERE to see a large version of the map. Even before you enter Sharbot Lake, across from Ryders Island you have an old wooden bridge that would have to be replaced. Old O&Q Railway Wooden Bridge - photo by Steve Manders The challenges multiply has you cross into Sharbot lake. Here is another photo of a small bridge that would need to be replaced. VIA Rail stated plan to go 160 kilometres per hour is simply not go...

Welcome to Tweed! VIA Rail Canada proposes to run frequent slow trains through here. Many comments and emails have been received about our articles relating to VIA Rail Canada and their Ontario-Quebec Railway plan to run a lot of slow trains along this route. Sometimes a photo can say all that needs to be said. Thanks to Greg Gormick for sending this photo in. Good luck VIA Rail with your plan.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/04/high-speed-rail-canada-via-rail-yves-desjardins-siciliano_n_8473342.html

A recent interview in the Globe and Mail outlines the vision of VIA RAIL CEO & President Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano. I will evaluate this article, highlighting both the positives and the negatives and what the VIA president should be doing. THE GOOD 1. VIA Rail President actually speaks to the public - Full credit for Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano for not hiding in his office and for actually going out to sell his vision of what VIA Rail should be. 2.VIA Rail focusing on getting people out of their cars - For decades VIA senior management were delusional in their priorities in thinking VIA Rail could compete with the airline industry and that they were competing for the same customer. It is refreshing to see VIA realize that they should be getting people to switch from their driving their autos to taking the train. 3.VIA needs their own dedicated track - It doesn't take rocket scientist to see that this is necessary, but it is still good to see the CEO saying it is a priorit...

Well back in March we talked about then MP Olivia Chow's C-577 relating to VIA Rail Canada. With Olivia gone from federal politics it was up to NDP MP Philip Toone Gaspésie — Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC to bring back the VIA Rail Canada Act on June 12th, 2014. He moved for leave to introduce Bill C-614, An Act respecting VIA Rail Canada and making consequential amendments to another Act. Fast forward to December 4th and this private members Bill C-614 by MP Philip Toone was back in parliament. MP Toone stated," Mr. Speaker, this bill would give parliamentarians far more control over the decisions made concerning VIA Rail. It would also allow for a partnership to be established with the communities and industries involved in VIA Rail service. This bill is designed to create the legislative framework that VIA Rail has never had. In the U.S., Amtrak was in rough shape without a legislative framework. Now, with that framework, Amtrak is on the right track. This company serves...

In case you have not seen it yet. Page 30 and 31 say it all. For twenty years I have told them their fares are too high. Finally they are starting to listen. Of course cutting routes ( frequency adjustments!)is a swell way to decrease ridership. http://www.viarail.ca/2012annualreport/docs/via-annual-report-2012.pdf

GuelphMercury - Valeriote blames Via Rail cuts on Ottawa

TheRecord - Via Rail blames low ridership for cuts to Kitchener... VIA is too blame for their own downfall.