Ontario Commits Over $11 Billion to Build First Phase of High Speed Rail

Murphy

Executive Branch Member
Apr 12, 2013
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Oh oh! I hope this was thought through completely. $11 billion of debt introduced by government is easily doubled or tripled!

Ontario Commits Over $11 Billion to Build First Phase of High Speed Rail
Transformational Project to Begin Service As Early As 2025
April 6, 2018 10:17 A.M.


Office of the Premier

Premier Kathleen Wynne was at Info-Tech in London today to highlight Ontario's historic investment to build a high speed rail line along the Toronto-Windsor corridor that will connect communities and create jobs and economic growth across Southwestern Ontario.

As announced in the 2018 Budget, the government will make an initial investment of more than $11 billion to support construction of Phase One of the project between Toronto and London. Canada's first high speed rail line -- the largest new investment in the Budget -- will slash travel times in half along the corridor, offer people a convenient new travel option that will reduce carbon emissions, while creating new opportunities for workers, businesses and anyone traveling in this part of Ontario.

Electric-powered trains will move at speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour on a combination of existing track and new dedicated rail corridors. The high speed trains will dramatically reduce travel times -- to an estimated 73 minutes between London and Toronto Union Station. This will give people a faster and greener way to get around, and will help businesses attract talented workers from across a wider area.

This project is one in a series of major investments Ontario is making to build and expand public transit and transition to a low-carbon innovation economy. These investments include the transformational GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project, which will introduce all-day, two-way service every 15 minutes across the GO rail network, with electrified service on core segments, including the Union Pearson Express. Weekly trips across the entire GO rail network will grow from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2025.

Building high speed rail is part of the government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and easier access to affordable child care.

Quick Facts

Phase 1 will include station stops at London, Kitchener, Guelph and Toronto Union Station, with a connection to Pearson International Airport. The Phase 2 service will add stops in Windsor and Chatham.

The Toronto-Windsor corridor is home to more than seven million people, and is a hub for leading start-ups and research institutions, and the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

In December, Ontario issued a Request for Bids to develop the environmental assessment terms of reference for high speed rail project. The contract has now been awarded to WSP and work on the first stage of the environmental assessment is underway.

The government is committing up to $101 million over three years to support planning, preliminary design and an environment assessment for the Toronto-Windsor corridor.

Ontario is continuing to engage with partners in the private and public sectors, including municipalities and Indigenous communities, while the environmental assessment, design and ridership forecasts are completed.

Ontario is investing up to $170 million in a major new transit project that will make it faster and easier to travel around London. The London Bus Rapid Transit System will connect 23.7 kilometres of rapid transit along London’s busiest corridors with a hub in the downtown core.

https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2018...-to-build-first-phase-of-high-speed-rail.html
 

Danbones

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Sep 23, 2015
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;)
 

Hoid

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 15, 2017
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And suddenly election promises?

Not so important.

Hows that pension plan working out?
another person who makes bizarre comparative statements based on nothing.

My pension is working fine - has been indexed since 2003.

How does that invalidate high speed rail as a tremendous asset?
 

Murphy

Executive Branch Member
Apr 12, 2013
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another person who makes bizarre comparative statements based on nothing.

My pension is working fine - has been indexed since 2003.

How does that invalidate high speed rail as a tremendous asset?

:lol: You make statements all the time that are based on nothing. I think it's bedtime for you.
 

Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
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Liberals love spending money they don't have.


Unfortunately, so do conservatives. When was the last time a conservative government in Canada had a balanced budget?

The 160kmh VIA already runs isn't fast enough?


Depends on whether you want real high speed rail. Considering that 160 is the max speed for Via it doesn't stack up well against other high speed rail in Europe and Asia.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Would it even come close to the Shinkansen for the number of passengers per day?

151 million passengers per year ride the Shinkansen which is only 80kmh faster than VIA
 

Jinentonix

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Sep 6, 2015
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another person who makes bizarre comparative statements based on nothing.

My pension is working fine - has been indexed since 2003.

How does that invalidate high speed rail as a tremendous asset?
Ever heard of population density? Did you know there are only three high speed rail lines in the world that actually manage to pull a profit? I can guarantee you this one won't be the fourth.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,893
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Ever heard of population density? Did you know there are only three high speed rail lines in the world that actually manage to pull a profit? I can guarantee you this one won't be the fourth.
We aren't Japan. It will be running at a loss from day one.
 

Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
8,252
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Edmonton
Would it even come close to the Shinkansen for the number of passengers per day?

151 million passengers per year ride the Shinkansen which is only 80kmh faster than VIA


I've ridden the Shinkansen. It maintains its speed for the entire journey, unlike Via which often slows to a crawl.
 

Danbones

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 23, 2015
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Yes, and out on the prairie you can watch it disappear off into the distance for hours...
;)
like a runaway dog.
 

Curious Cdn

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Feb 22, 2015
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We aren't Japan. It will be running at a loss from day one.

I'm afraid that I'll have to agree with that one. Has anyone done a real marketing study or is this some sort of "Jetsons Modern we-have-to-keep-up" thing? There aren't enough of us to ever make it pay.