New high-speed rail lines are being planned for Ontario, and those lines could be passing through Hastings County.
During Thursday’s Hastings County Council meeting, council received a deputation from ALTO, the company set to build and operate high speed rail links in the area.
The stated goal of the project is to connect Toronto to Quebec City with high-speed rail, along with stops in several cities in between. Peterborough has been flagged as one of the potential stops for the train.
The trains are expected to move at 300/kph and would not be able to use existing rail lines as they would need to be mostly straight to allow trains to move that fast. New rail lines would have to be constructed, and in order to avoid interruptions, the lines would have to use overpasses or underpasses when crossing other infrastructure.
Once active, the rail line is expected to be a major economic boon to Ontario, with a combination of increased productivity, greater workforce participation, and tourism advantages, predicted to increase the country’s gross domestic product by over $24 billion.
Currently the project is in its development phase, with efforts underway to secure space for the rail lines, consult with municipalities and First Nations along the route, and design the layout of electrified high speed tracks.
The council accepted the deputation, but took no action at this time.
