Via Rail train from Ottawa to Toronto

CANADA: National transport minister Pablo Rodriguez has formally launched the Request for Proposals for the planned High Frequency Rail project to create a Québec City to Toronto rail corridor with dedicated passenger tracks.

The RFP process will last until summer 2024, the government announced on October 13. Following the evaluation period, the government will select a private development partner to work collaboratively with project promoter VIA HFR to design and develop the project.

In July, VIA HFR invited three prequalified consortia to proceed to the RFP stage. The three consortia are:

  • Cadence: CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin, Systra Canada, Keolis Canada;
  • Intercity Rail Developers: Intercity Development Partners, EllisDon Capital, Kilmer Transportation, First Rail Holdings, Jacobs, Hatch, CIMA+, FirstGroup, RATP Dev Canada, RENFE Operadora;
  • QConnexiON Rail Partners: Fengate, John Laing, Bechtel, WSP Canada, Deutsche Bahn.

The government said that to maximise public benefits and innovation, RFP bidders will have to develop two proposals with respect to speed. One must include trains that can reach a maximum speed of 200 km/h, which is faster than the service offered today. The second must include high speed segments for faster travel. ‘This will allow for a rigorous assessment of the costs and benefits of incorporating high speed rail on each segment of the corridor’, it said.

‘The launch of the Request for Proposals for the High Frequency Rail project marks a significant milestone. I look forward to seeing how the teams participating in this process will approach the challenge of connecting communities, honouring Indigenous Reconciliation, and improving travel in the Québec City to Toronto corridor’, said Rodriguez in launching the RFP process.

‘This transformative project is about connecting people and places in Canada’s most densely populated corridor’, said Martin Imbleau, Chief Executive Officer of VIA HFR. ‘Our team is committed to making passenger rail travel more flexible. By moving passenger trains onto their own dedicated tracks, we’ll offer faster, more frequent trains that arrive reliably on time. Our service will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.’

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