Alto - High Speed Rail (Toronto-Quebec City)

[nfitz]

We were discussing the question for what kind of rail transit lines it would be worth to make stops to allow connections. The Ontario Line will indeed become one of the backbones of Toronto’s transit system, but that does not automatically make connecting intercity rail with it as much of a priority as you seem(ed) to believe…

I was only saying that if the Alto (or existing VIA services, now I think about it) are already running through East Harbour, it may well be worth stopping, given it's going to become a major transit hub.

This may also be true on the VIA services to Brantford at Exhibition, now that all 4 tracks will have a platform, and the plan for the 5th track was cancelled (after construction had started)

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I was only saying that if the Alto (or existing VIA services, now I think about it) are already running through East Harbour, it may well be worth stopping, given it's going to become a major transit hub. This may be true on the VIA services to Brantford at Exhibition.

The flip side for this argument is that it is rather close to Union (and accessible via the same) in the grand scheme of things, and that the case for stopping there is weakened by the residential shift of the neighbourhood.

AoD

 

[guavadelic]

An even more promising location for the singular suburban stop (it should be singular, not multiple) would be in Agincourt, where there is potential for a station that connects to the extended Line 2 and (hopefully, by the same timeframe) Line 5....and has a catchment up into Markham and possibly east into Pickering.
Too many suburban stations would harm, not help, so we need to put them in place very judiciously.

- Paul

Agincourt would be the location that makes the most sense for a suburban station due to the potential for all those connections, including possibly an extended Line 4.

 

[micheal_can]

Agincourt would be the location that makes the most sense for a suburban station due to the potential for all those connections, including possibly an extended Line 4.

Line 2 is being extended to there, so it would work as a good suburban station as it would have 2 lines going to it. If GO uses this line too,then it would work even better.

 

[enter username]

Alto CEO recently dismissed the idea of a stop bypassing south of Peterborough as “speculation”

 

[micheal_can]

Alto CEO recently dismissed the idea of a stop bypassing south of Peterborough as “speculation”

There is an Ontario municipal election in October 2026. My guess is in Peterborough, the station location could be a ballot box issue.

 

[PL1]

There is an Ontario municipal election in October 2026. My guess is in Peterborough, the station location could be a ballot box issue.

It's not a municipal decision, though some people may exploit it

 

[chrisw]

Alto CEO recently dismissed the idea of a stop bypassing south of Peterborough as “speculation”

Yes, because stop locations haven't been confirmed yet.

 

[micheal_can]

It's not a municipal decision, though some people may exploit it

Everything is a municipal thing when it is a small town. The last thing the Federal government or one of its agencies want is push back from the local community they are trying to do something in. ALTO CEO can say what he wants, but if he wants it approved,he still needs the support of the government of the day. Imagine if Ontario had shoved the LRT into Hamilton when their council was against it. This is not much different.

 

[generalcanada]

Alto CEO recently dismissed the idea of a stop bypassing south of Peterborough as “speculation”

Meanwhile, tariffs could apply to construction materials such as aluminum and steel, in the trade war with the U.S. — Imbleau said Alto will need to build 4,000 km of steel tracks. But he added those materials can all potentially be sourced from Ontario and Quebec, for instance.

Build 4000km of track?
thats...weirdly high? are we talking about quad-tracking?

 

[reinventingthewheel]

Build 4000km of track?
thats...weirdly high? are we talking about quad-tracking?

Perhaps meant to be 4000km of rail where each track is composed of two rails.

 

[micheal_can]

Build 4000km of track?
thats...weirdly high? are we talking about quad-tracking?

... or single track across Canada? Sorry,I couldn't resist.

Maybe some sections will be 4 tracks to allow local passenger and freight trains to operate without blocking HSR trains. It would not surprise me if the HSR is double track the entire distance. Just like how single direction trains are no longer a normal thing, neither are new built tracks.

 

[Urban Sky]

An even more promising location for the singular suburban stop (it should be singular, not multiple) would be in Agincourt, where there is potential for a station that connects to the extended Line 2 and (hopefully, by the same timeframe) Line 5....and has a catchment up into Markham and possibly east into Pickering.
Too many suburban stations would harm, not help, so we need to put them in place very judiciously.

- Paul

I would love to see on a map where exactly you want to place the platform for said “Agincourt” station and how close the walking distance would be to the transit links you are mentioning…

Perhaps meant to be 4000km of rail where each track is composed of two rails.

Correct, at least Trudeau was talking about the required length of “steel rails” for the ~850 km long rail corridor:

In Montreal, Trudeau predicted the rail system would slash greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, add billions to Canada’s economy, create thousands of jobs, and bring passenger rail traffic that can get people from Toronto to Montreal in three hours.

“Just think about the 4,000 kilometres of steel rail that we’re going to need to lay. That’s steel, aluminum, copper — resources we have, that we can use here in Canada,” Trudeau said.

“It’s a project fit for Canada: big and bold.”

Justin Trudeau says Toronto to Quebec high-speed rail project is ‘real now.’ Where do his successors stand on it?

Named Alto, Canada’s new $3.9B high-speed rail line will run from Toronto to Québec City, with speeds forecast at up to 300 km/h, the federal government has announced.

www.thestar.com

 

[Metroscapes]

Sorry, showing up late to this thread, so don't take these as direct replies so much as springboards for my points.

I would not define anything north of Bloor (maybe Yorkville) as downtown, and I'm fairly certain I'm not alone in that assessment.

Counterpoint is that Yonge and Eglinton can be generally defined as midtown, and including St Clair. Summerhill is a grey boundary IMO.

There is no good reason, except for some peoples' fixation with North Toronto as an interesting addition to the regional rail network.

While that has been studied in the past, there is no evidence that anyone is actually making a serious move in this direction.

Summerhill has long been contemplated as a relief station for Union, has it not? l I also reject the notions that GO trains through Summerhill and other spots along North Toronto / Belleville subs are merely 'interesting' or that it isn't something we can't be serious about.

Why is anyone taking about Summerhill? Union is obviously the only practical main hub in Toronto.

Agreed, but I can see a link between frequent users of high speed rail to Ottawa and the Summerhill area, but that's a crass sentiment on my part.

It does make sense to hit both Union station and Pearson if the plan is to extend the high speed rail to London and then eventually Windsor. The cancelled Ontario high speed rail line proposed by Kathleen Wynne had stations at Union, Pearson, Guelph, Kitchener, London, Chatham, and Windsor.

I would question any Alto link to Pearson with "why the hell did we build the UP Express?" There's also no way "the milk run" should be first in line for high speed service to Windsor, especially while Aldershot is a good hub to connect to Niagara and Buffalo.

 

[micheal_can]

I would question any Alto link to Pearson with "why the hell did we build the UP Express?" There's also no way "the milk run" should be first in line for high speed service to Windsor, especially while Aldershot is a good hub to connect to Niagara and Buffalo.

A HSR west in ON would likely go to Aldershot and through Pearson.The question is which one will go on to London and beyond, or if it will be both.