# Alto (high-speed rail)

Alto (stylized in all caps), also known as the Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, is a planned high-speed rail network in Canada that will connect Quebec City to Toronto. It was announced by the federal government and Justin Trudeau on February 19, 2025. A design phase for the project was announced with an estimated cost of $3.9 billion and is expected to last between 4 and 5 years.
The railway will feature trains that will reach speeds of 300 km/h (186 mph), about double that of Via Rail’s current trains (Siemens Chargers and Venture cars), which have a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h (100 mph).

## History

In November 2022, the Canadian government announced the planning of a "High-Frequency Rail (HFR)" line on the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. This project was called Via HFR. Via HFR was founded as a Crown corporation on November 29, 2022, under the official company name Via HFR – Via TGF Inc., to "oversee what was initially pitched as a 'high frequency' rail project".

### Announcement

Alto was officially announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal on February 19, 2025. It was announced as a revision of the Via HFR project, which was to now be a high-speed rail line from Quebec City to Toronto. Via HFR was renamed Alto, and the federal government chose the design, engineering, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the rail network—also named Alto—to be the responsibility of the Cadence consortium (which includes the French public rail operator SNCF Voyageurs and the private airline Air Canada). In the announcement, Trudeau described the project as the "largest infrastructure project in Canadian history" and added that it would be "a game-changer for Canadians". The line is to span Toronto and Quebec City, with five stops in between: Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, and Trois-Rivières.

## Stations

| Province | City | Metro population (2021) | Rank |
| Ontario | Toronto | 6,202,225 | 1 |
| Ontario | Peterborough | 128,624 | 32 |
| Ontario | Ottawa | 1,488,307 | 4 |
| Quebec | Montreal | 4,291,732 | 2 |
| Quebec | Laval | 4,291,732 | 2 |
| Quebec | Trois-Rivières | 161,489 | 28 |
| Quebec | Quebec City | 839,311 | 7 |

## Bidding process
### Participating consortia

In July 2023, the government selected three consortia to proceed to the request-for-proposals (RFP) stage:

#### Cadence

* CDPQ Infra
* AtkinsRéalis (formerly known as SNC-Lavalin)
* Systra Canada
* / Keolis Canada
* Air Canada
* SNCF Voyageurs S.A.

#### Intercity Rail Developers/Développeurs Ferroviaires Interurbains

* Intercity Development Partners
* Kilmer Transportation
* First Rail Holdings
* Jacobs
* Hatch
* CIMA+
* FirstGroup
* / RATP Dev Canada
* Renfe Operadora
* Meridiam
* DF Canada Infrastructure Group Inc.
* EllisDon Capital

#### Partenaires Ferroviaires QCONNEXION Rail Partners

* Fengate
* John Laing
* Bechtel
* WSP Canada
* Deutsche Bahn

### Winning consortium

The selected consortium was Cadence, formed by the following companies:
* Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec/Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund (CDPQ Infra)
* AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. (formerly known as SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.)
* SYSTRA Canada
* / Keolis Canada
* Air Canada
* SNCF Voyageurs

## Travel times

Official estimated/planned travel times by Alto and comparison to other modes, including the current Quebec City–Windsor Corridor rail service:
| Route | Alto | Via Rail | Flying | Driving |
| Toronto–Ottawa | 2:09 | 4:26 | ~3:30 | ~4:30 |
| Toronto–Montréal | 3:07 | 5:30 | ~4:00 | ~5:30 |
| Toronto–Peterborough | 0:40 | 1:27 | — | ~1:30 |
| Ottawa–Montréal | 0:58 | 1:59 | ~3:00 | ~2:00 |
| Montréal–Quebec City | 1:29 | 3:17 | ~3:30 | ~3:00 |
| Montréal–Trois-Rivières | 0:50 | 1:44 | — | ~1:30 |
* Current Via Rail trains (Siemens Chargers and Venture cars) have a design top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph) but have a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) due to infrastructure limitations and the need to give priority to freight trains.
* Driving times are based on average conditions and typical routes. Actual travel times may vary depending on traffic, weather, and road conditions.
* Total flying time includes transportation from and to city centres and security checks.