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Speaking in Gatineau on December 12, 2025, federal Minister of Transport Steve MacKinnon and Alto President and CEO Martin Imbleau announced that the first segment of the Alto High-Speed Rail network to be constructed would run between Ottawa and Montreal.
It was anticipated that the project would be built in stages, with construction overlapping, and Ottawa-Montreal being first was a strong possibility for the High frequency rail version of the project which had a well defined route. Surprisingly, he first segment was described as being between Montreal and Ottawa via Laval, with mayor Stéphane Boyer participating in the announcement, whereas previously the stop in Laval had been expected to be between Montreal and Quebec City, with the Ottawa to Montreal segment running through Dorval, so we await clarification of this potentially significant difference, as definition of the new alignment continues through the consultation process.
Confirming this segment of approximately 200 km as the first to be progressed, with construction expected to begin in 2029, lets teams in both Ontario and Quebec start working at the same time, which means local communities can see benefits sooner, and Minister MacKinnon said that starting with this segment would allow workers to build the skills needed to expand the network more quickly toward both Toronto and Québec City.
Alto will launch a comprehensive consultation process in January 2026. This will include open houses, virtual sessions, and an online platform, offering people multiple opportunities to share their views on the corridor under study. This will inform the
selection of the preferred alignment and station locations, and guide efforts to minimize impacts, and strengthen local benefits.
Transport Action urges people to come forward with as much information as possible regarding community assets that should be considered in the final route selection at this stage in the process. There are always structures or lands with important local history that don’t appear in formal heritage registers, and with a minimum curve radius of at least 7 km for 300 km/h operation finding a route which minimizes community impacts is challenging for any High Speed Rail project, and making changes to the project later in the process appears to have been a major contributor to cost escalation for HS2 in the UK, something Canada must avoid.
“Undertaking one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Canada’s history requires multi-stage planning. Focusing first on the Ottawa–Montréal segment is a logical step to optimize the project, accelerate delivery, and generate tangible local economic benefits. This approach allows us to mobilize teams even more rapidly in both provinces while continuing work on all other segments of the corridor, from Toronto to Québec City. As consultations begin, we look forward to engaging with communities and hearing their perspectives firsthand.”
Martin Imbleau, President and CEO, Alto
During his remarks, Minister MacKinnon emphasized the importance of intramodality, including connections to light rail, airports, and other modes to facilitate complete door-to-door journeys, the environmental benefits of electrified high speed rail, and the project’s ability to strengthen the Canadian economy in the face of difficulties in our relationship with the United States.
Martin Imbleau reiterated Alto’s commitment to consulting and listening to communities and Indigenous people along the corridor, and stated that by commencing with a shorter segment first, the project would be able to apply lessons learned from other large projects, validate methodology and construction techniques, and this reduce overall project risk and cost.
Addressing a question about the train failure that had taken place near Brockville on the evening of December 10, Minister MacKinnon also confirmed the government’s commitment to continuing to provide passenger rail services to communities along the existing Kingston corridor, and working to improve them alongside the development of High Speed Rail.