The federal government recently announced that high-speed rail would be coming to the Toronto-Quebec City corridor, with construction on the first segment of the Alto network set to begin in 2029.When asked by the Western Standard whether there were any plans to bring the technology to other parts of Canada, Transportation Minister Steven MacKinnon explained that while there are currently no proponents, in principle it's not off the table.."We've often examined and will continue to dialogue with other places who might find that solution to be compelling," MacKinnon said, noting that the "most often talked about" route has been Calgary to Edmonton. "Obviously there's no live project today."He went on to note that there are currently no "pure" high-speed rail projects in North America, thus Canada was "breaking new ground" with the new Alto line."We want to make that a success," MacKinnon noted. "The more successes we can build in any major project ... the better the chance that we can extend it to other places. This is a long-term major major project, we want to get it right — but we obviously want as many Canadians as possible to ultimately benefit.".The Ottawa to Montreal segment of the Alto network is expected to open by 2035, with trains travelling around 300 km/h. While that's a huge improvement from VIA Rail's current cap of 160 km/h, it lags behind technology in other G7 nations.When asked by the Western Standard how Canada can elevate its performance and become a leader in public transportation technology, MacKinnon maintained things were on the upswing.."I don't take it as given that any of those projects will be as behind the times or deficient as you describe," he said, referring to the Alto network and Toronto's multi-billion-dollar Finch West LRT line, which ended up being slower than the bus it was built to replace. "These are all expensive undertakings, they all go through significant levels of regulatory review."MacKinnon noted that some of the ways Canada could step up its game are to "shorten planning times ... and approval times," and "capitalize these projects appropriately so we're building quality for the next generation, and the generations that follow.""I'm not down on Canada or major projects in Canada," he added. "In fact, I'm quite optimistic."
