Canada’s rail industry is abuzz with reports that the government is seriously considering converting its ongoing High Frequency Rail project procurement to a truly High Speed Rail project, which would connect Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The government has accepted proposals for the project from three shortlisted bid teams, and is expected to selected a predevelopment partner for the project in the coming weeks. The project is being procured as a “progressive” P3, and will likely include a long predevelopment phase if a high-speed rail alternative is selected.
Up until last month, it was anticipated that the multibillion dollar passenger rail project would be a “high frequency” solution: electrified trains and other improvements to existing passenger rail lines along the corridor, but which would not reach the speeds of “high speed” rail lines in Europe. Despite not technically being “high speed,” the project was still initially estimated to cost between $6 and $12 billion. Costs for a high speed rail system were expected to be much greater.
