[constance_chlore]

Maybe there's some reason why it's actually quite practical, but I'm surprised by the decision to include a stop in Laval, which is already reached by the Montreal metro, STM buses (including the Pie-IX BRT route), and (soon) the REM, with reasonably easy transfers onto its own internal transit system.

 

[erudyk_29]

There is no justification to run the train to Quebec City. This will add unnecessary costs to phases of planning and design rendering the whole thing unviable

I don't think there's no justification. Quebec City has over 800 000 people in its metro area with the total catchment area of the station probably including around a million, plus you could add Trois-Rivieres as another station.

I do think phasing may have been the better approach though. An initial Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal section, with possible stops in Kingston and maybe an East GTA stop like Oshawa or Pickering.

Then extend it to Quebec and Windsor / Detroit in later phases.

I could see this ultimately being what happens.

Honestly though, the southern extension, which could hypothetically also include London would probably be much more viable than the northern one to Quebec. denser population in general with hypothetical connections to Detroit and other US cities, in addition to easier, flatter geography.

My guess is this was chosen to appease Quebec so they serve both big cities in both Ontario and Quebec.

 

[Gronk!]

Quebec City is the 7th largest metro area in Canada. Moreover, I'm guessing that it's the intention to have the two provincial capitals as the terminals for this HSR. Although I do wonder why this HSR doesn't link up to other Ontario cities such as Hamilton or Kitchener.

 

[EdmTrekker]

Approve this already and either Ellis Don do this or simply get a Japanese or Chinese company who has already built 1000s of kilometers of hsr, come in and build it for us.

I agree - and the Chinese should definitely be invited to participate in design build finance and operate.

 

[Glenco]

I don't think there's no justification. Quebec City has over 800 000 people in its metro area with the total catchment area of the station probably including around a million, plus you could add Trois-Rivieres as another station.

I do think phasing may have been the better approach though. An initial Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal section, with possible stops in Kingston and maybe an East GTA stop like Oshawa or Pickering.

Then extend it to Quebec and Windsor / Detroit in later phases.

I could see this ultimately being what happens.

Honestly though, the southern extension, which could hypothetically also include London would probably be much more viable than the northern one to Quebec. denser population in general with hypothetical connections to Detroit and other US cities, in addition to easier, flatter geography.

My guess is this was chosen to appease Quebec so they serve both big cities in both Ontario and Quebec.

Your sentence sums it up. Stroking someone’s ego.

 

[Gronk!]

 

[The_Cat]

Train use is already popular in these parts of Canada.

 

[erudyk_29]

^ I've taken the VIA between Ottawa and Montreal, and Montreal and Quebec City. Anecdotal obviously, I'm not sure what the actual numbers are but there were already lots of people on board. Not full or anything but definitely well used.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

It just astounds me how trains here in Japan ,where I'm at right now, is so common place. It is so normalized that it makes sense to only take the train. I hope to see the train in my lifetime. Sure I'm comparing cherries to watermelons but still, we should take and use advice from places like Japan.

 

[Whatup]

I agree - and the Chinese should definitely be invited to participate in design build finance and operate.

This announcement is vote buying in central Canada Liberalland - by a PM who has supposedly "resigned" but takes time off from his last jet setting publicly paid world tour to gift our central Canadian friends this exciting project. Anyone guess what this will actually cost? In a country where people are waiting for over a year to get colonoscopy's and hip replacements - in a country that has its biggest deficits and debt ever. And hey lets get China to help build and operate it - screw our allies in South Korea or Japan , lets give it to the country that interferred in our last two federal elections, was setting up Chinese police stations in Canada and intimidating Chinese Canadian citizens and had 11 MPs on the CCP payroll. Canada doesn't have the population density to have a high-speed rail. Its another boondoggle waiting to happen - one last costly gift from dim-wit Trudeau - the silver spoon trust fund disaster who hasn't had to work for anything in his life.

 

[Didama]

^ maybe so, but it also should be a project that transcends party lines. The fact is that a modern economy needs modern infrastructure, and transportation is absolutely key. I hope the CPC realizes the value in this.

 

[Pro.N]

Here's the Backgrounder from the Government regarding the Procurement Process. This has been in the works for a while now.

No China involvement (yet...), but AtkinsRealis (formerly SNC Lavalin) and Air Canada involvement only means our engineering and air transport overlords will now be our rail transport overlords!

HSR Backgrounder - TC & PSPC

 

[David A]

I don't think there's no justification. Quebec City has over 800 000 people in its metro area with the total catchment area of the station probably including around a million, plus you could add Trois-Rivieres as another station.

I do think phasing may have been the better approach though. An initial Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal section, with possible stops in Kingston and maybe an East GTA stop like Oshawa or Pickering.

Then extend it to Quebec and Windsor / Detroit in later phases.

I could see this ultimately being what happens.

Honestly though, the southern extension, which could hypothetically also include London would probably be much more viable than the northern one to Quebec. denser population in general with hypothetical connections to Detroit and other US cities, in addition to easier, flatter geography.

My guess is this was chosen to appease Quebec so they serve both big cities in both Ontario and Quebec.

Quebec City is bigger than London or Hamilton and while not many from Toronto will go that far, there is a lot of traffic between Montreal and Quebec City.

A southern extension to London, or Windsor/Detroit makes sense in the future, but I couldn't see Hamilton with its close proximity to Toronto and the area already being so built up working well for this.

 

[SarcasticMarmot]

Personally I like that Quebec City is included. I've visited Montreal a number of times for work but have never made it to Quebec City as it felt too far for a real day trip. This would make it easy to add on to a Montreal trip.

 

[Didama]

A lot of it has to do with innovation and proximity to research hubs, rather than current population. Here's a story from the Economist that talks about the UK's intention to build another silicon valley in the (currently mostly empty) space between Oxford and Cambridge, and how a new rail line factors into that: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2...can-unshackle-britains-most-innovative-region