Canada federal govt announces plans for new 'high frequency' rail lines from Toronto to Quebec City
Ottawa/IBNS: Plans to build new, high-frequency rail lines connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City were announced on Tuesday by the federal government of Canada.
"It will increase frequency for passengers like yourself and transform the connection between these cities," Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra announced this plan to passengers on board a VIA Rail train traveling from Toronto to Montreal earlier on Tuesday.
According to the project plans, trains on the proposed line would run at higher speeds than are currently possible to reduce travel times between the cities, and make trains more reliable.
The government is not describing the project as "high speed" rail, since vehicles' speed would still fall short of the high-speed rail networks in Europe and Asia.
The possibility of high-frequency rail along the Toronto-Quebec City corridor has been examined by the Liberal government since at least 2019 when it launched a special office to work on the project.
The recent 2021 budget, headlined by a pledge of $491.2 million over six years to VIA Rail Canada for infrastructure investments.was announced by Ottawa for the project but the budget does not suggest a completion date for the project.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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