Conservative MP Roman Baber says Ottawa's proposed Alto high-speed railway will never be completed for its projected $90-billion price tag, pointing to soaring costs on Toronto's Ontario Line as evidence major rail projects routinely exceed initial estimates.“Alto will never be built, ever,” Baber told the House of Commons. “By the time construction stops it is going to cost a trillion.”“They say they want to build high speed rail from Toronto to Québec City, the Alto, and that it’s going to cost $90 billion,” he said. “Ninety billion?”The North York MP compared Alto with Toronto's 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line, which is planned to run from Exhibition Place through downtown Toronto to Don Mills Road.The Ontario government originally announced the project in 2019 with an estimated construction cost of $10.9 billion. Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay confirmed in August that the current estimated cost is about $34 billion and said the final figure will be higher because some contracts have yet to be finalized.“Doug Ford’s Ontario Line is 15 stops and 15 kilometres, granted, underground,” said Baber.“A month ago we found out the Ontario Line, 15 kilometres, is not just half a decade behind but the cost of construction is up to $34 billion.”The Ontario Line is now expected to open in the early 2030s. Metrolinx has attributed some of the increased costs to supply-chain disruptions and trade uncertainty.Baber predicted its eventual cost could reach $40 billion.“So the Ontario Line from Don Mills and Eglinton to Lakeshore and Bathurst is $40 billion, but the Alto high speed rail is going to be $90 billion?” he said. “Are you kidding me?”His comments followed the release of federal documents detailing how Alto Corporation arrived at its preliminary cost estimates for the proposed Toronto-Québec City railway.An Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the Commons said Alto's estimate equates to approximately $83 million per kilometre.The documents compared that figure with four international high-speed rail projects that averaged about $237 million per kilometre..The international figures ranged from approximately $27 million per kilometre for a project in Spain to $121 million in California, $173 million in France and $626 million in the United Kingdom.The comparisons do not establish what Alto will ultimately cost because construction expenses can vary significantly based on factors including tunnelling, land acquisition, geography, stations and local construction costs.Alto Corporation has also acknowledged public concerns about the project's price and construction schedule.“Many participants raised questions about the project and its timeline and were skeptical that the project could be delivered within the anticipated budget and schedule,” the Crown corporation said in its June 22 What We Heard Report.
