The Crown corporation that’s working on high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City has announced it’s moving forward with the next phase of its environmental study, which may include requests to access private land.
Alto, along with its partner Cadence, has been engaging with the public and examining potential routes to figure out where the $60 billion to $90 billion project will be located.
On Monday, Alto shared that it will soon start reaching out to private landowners for permission to check soil conditions, waterways, noise levels, plants, and animals. However, they noted that this doesn’t mean those areas will definitely have tracks laid down.
“[A] request does not necessarily mean that a property will need to be acquired for the project or that the future train will run near it,” Alto said.
Landowners can decline such a request if they choose. Those who agree will receive compensation and “comprehensive” information, including possible access to an assigned Alto representative.
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Consultations Concluding
Apart from Toronto and Quebec City, the proposed stops also include Ottawa and Peterborough in Ontario as well as Montreal, Laval, and Trois-Rivières in Quebec. There’s interest in adding a stop in Kingston, Ont., which Premier Doug Ford backed last week. However, there’s been pushback from some people who worry the project could cause disruption without offering them any real benefits. The electric trains are set to travel at speeds up to 300 km/h and initially plan to operate between Ottawa and Montreal according to current proposals. Alto confirmed on Tuesday that those areas would be where the first round of access requests are focused. This week marks the end of in-person consultations; public sessions are scheduled in Gatineau, Que., and Stirling, Ont., northwest of Belleville. Online consultations will continue for another month. Alto intends to consult on a more defined corridor between Ottawa and Montreal later this year. The goal is to kick off construction by 2029.Source link
