The Canadian Province of Ontario is about to launch a project for the construction of a high-speed railway between Toronto and Windsor, near the border with Detroit (United States of America). The project is estimated at CAD 20 billion (USD 15 billion). It is, at the same time, good news for the international rail industry.
The project is yet another proof of the necessity of an eco-friendly transport system, especially since the future high-speed railway will simply “eliminate” a road traffic between the two cities estimated at 5 million automotive vehicles a day.
The first phase of the project will consist in the assessment of the environment impact, this phase being estimated at USD 15 million. The Canadian authorities estimate that preliminary works will take four years. Design tenders will be launched this autumn.
The actual implementation phase will begin in 2022 and the first trains will arrive in London (a city in the south-west of Ontario) in 2025 and then, to Windsor (the southernmost city of the same province, Ontario) in 2031. The Canadian Government will establish a new public authority in charge with the implementation of this project.
“So far, we’ve lost various opportunities because we have a clear route set for this high-speed railway. I am persuaded that there is going to be a series of discussions about the costs necessary for this new project and, most probably, we will make everything in our power to reduce costs as much as possible. However, a clear step regarding the development of this project must be done”, said Kathleen Wynne, Prime Minister of Ontario.
The supporters of the high-speed railway believe that the project will boost the economic activity along an area with a population of over seven million people which, in turn, could generate over 60% of the Gross Domestic Product of Ontario.
Moreover, the Canadian authorities in charge with this project published ever since 2015 a report according to which over 10.6 million passengers will use the high-speed railway.
The same report proposes two financial alternatives to be analysed by the Canadian Government. According to the first alternative, trains will travel at speeds of 300 km/h at a cost of USD 149 million per kilometre, while under the second alternative, trains will travel at speeds of 250 km/h at a cost of USD 55 million per kilometre.
When travelling at speeds of 250 km/h, trains will cover the 330-km distance between the two cities in 2 hours compared to the present 4 hours of the road journey.
Once the railway is completed, more plans will follow including the extension of the railway under Detroit River, between Erie Lake and St Clair Lake to get connected to the railway network of the United States of America.
This article was published in the June issue of the Railway PRO Magazine that analyses the latest and most important railway projects around the world.
by Elena Ilie
Share on:
