High-speed rail in Canada
overview of the high-speed rail system in Canada
Several plans have been proposed for high-speed rail in Canada, the only G7 country that does not have any high-speed/higher-speed rail lines. In the press and popular discussion, there have been two routes frequently proposed as suitable for a high-speed rail corridor: Edmonton to Calgary via Red Deer and Windsor to Quebec City via London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Other proposed routes include international high-speed rail links between Montreal and Boston or New York City discussed by regional leaders, though little progress has been made. On April 10, 2008, an advocacy group, High Speed Rail Canada, was formed to promote and educate Canadians on the benefits of high-speed rail in Canada.
On February 19, 2025, the government announced a high-speed rail project in the Toronto–Quebec City corridor with speeds up to 300 to 350 km/h (186 to 217 mph). The name of this service will be Alto.
Early high-speed rail in Canada
CN Rail created an initial high-speed rail project with the UAC TurboTrain, in its Toronto–Montreal route during the 1960s. The TurboTrain achieved speeds as high as 201 km/h (125 mph) in regular service. The Turbo went 225 km/h (140 mph) in a speed run April 26, 1976, and may have attained even higher speeds in test runs in 1968–1969.
CN's, and later Via Rail's, TurboTrain service was marred with lengthy interruptions to address design problems and having to cope with poor track quality (accounted for by dual passenger-freight use).
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