Reuters, Ottawa Ottawa said on Wednesday that an international consortium comprising Air Canada, AtkinsRealis Group, and France’s SNCF had secured a C$3.9 billion, six-year contract to assist in the development of a high-speed passenger rail network in eastern Canada.
The contract includes the first planning of the network, which would allow trains to travel up to 300 kph (186 mph) and extend over 1,000 km (620 miles) from Quebec City to Toronto. According to the government, the current three-hour travel time from Montreal to Toronto would be cut in half.
The construction time and cost of the network were not disclosed by Ottawa. For decades, governments have discussed creating a separate line for passenger trains, which frequently experience delays and must share the track with freight trains.
The government claimed in a statement that the 18 million-person Toronto-Quebec City region contributed 40% of the country’s GDP.
The Quebec provincial pension fund and French companies Keolis and Systra are also part of the Cadence consortium.
(Sandra Maler edited; David Ljunggren reported.)
