Alto - High Speed Rail (Toronto-Quebec City)

[micheal_can]

Because this is about getting people out of cars, not planes.

Why not both?

The goal of ALTO should be a pricing, schedule and speed that allows everyone who uses all existing modes to have another choice that could be better in some ways than the other. With the way airlines are going, they have become uncomfortable for all but the highest fares. So, would you rather be cramped for an hour or not cramped for 2-3 hours?

I'll be interesting to see the approach. HSR can take atvandage of demand elasticity when setting prices. They can undercut their competition and run more frequency. I couldn't pretend to articulate the demand elasticity formula, but there is an induced demand effect from both the price and frequency perspectives. At least in europe, which was the study I read.

This is interesting. The study I was reading only showed the split between Rail and Air. It places sub 600km trips at 75% or better in that context. I think Paris-Lyon was 95%. Cool to see numbers with Auto included.

The frequency will be key. So are the departure and arrival times. If they get those wrong, this could be a flop. This reminds me of the Northlander's return and how it is what northerners want. They want that ability to have the train be the hotel too. With ALTO, the wants is much different. Business professionals want to be able to do business and get home for dinner. Get the frequency, speed and timing down right and they can.

 

[picard102]

Why not both?

Sure, but one is certainly more likely and lower hanging fruit.

 

[StreetcarRider]

Interestingly, I don't see much feedback from the Toronto-Peterborough area

Deleted an earlier post that contained an error.

The Toronto to Peterborough area can usefully be considered in three parts, in my view:

• Urbanized GTA: presumably most people are cool with trains here, assuming Alto will use existing rights of way or tunnelling to get downtown (these assumptions could be wrong and then opposition might rise).
  
  
• Greenbelt & Oak Ridges Moraine: this part is massive. It turns out that there is opposition here. You basically can't get from Toronto to Peterborough without crossing these areas. One group has asked the federal government to "[c]onsider alternative connections through established infrastructure corridors between Toronto and Kingston" which basically means not creating a new corridor, or going through Peterborough, at all.
  
  
• Edge of the Greenbelt/Moraine to Peterborough: some opposition does exist (City of Kawartha Lakes, for example). But presumably many people in these areas are close enough to Peterborough to be potential users who don't want to the whole project cancelled. Of course, Peterborough itself is strongly supportive.