Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the construction of the country's first high-speed rail (HSR) line. The 1,000 km line will connect Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City with trains that reach a maximum speed of 300 km/h. The Canadian government is investing €2.6 billion (CAD 3.9 billion) over six years to develop the project, which will begin in 2024-25. The Cadence consortium, consisting of CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRealis, Keolis, Systra, Air Canada, and SNCF Voyageurs, has been selected as the preferred developer. The line will run through Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, Montreal and Trois-Rivières. Cadence will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project. A Crown corporation called Via HFR, now Alto, has been established to oversee the project.
