Ottawa has chosen the High Frequency Train (TGF) to improve VIA Rail service. However, internal Crown corporation documents obtained by Press indicate that the corridor between Montreal and Toronto is one of the most suitable in North America for the operation of a high speed train (TGV).
Out of 21 trips evaluated by the Regional Plan Association, a New York-based nonprofit, the one connecting Canada’s two metropolises would rank sixth on the continent. The first four lanes of the prize list, all located between Boston and Washington via New York, already exist. The fifth – between Los Angeles and San Francisco – is under construction.
The information comes from a document of approximately 300 pages dated April and prepared by the Joint Project Office (BPC), under the responsibility of VIA Rail and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (BIC) . It concerns the TGF project between Quebec and Windsor, announced by the Trudeau government last July.
Heavily redacted, this report, which contains “privileged and confidential” information, was obtained under the Access to Information Act.
“We have very interesting markets,” says the expert in transport planning at the University of Montreal Pierre Barrieau. It’s even more interesting with the disappearance [des services interurbains en autocar] from Greyhound. ”
Pierre Barrieau believes that despite the technical challenges that it presents, a TGV that would link Quebec City to Toronto would rank “in the top 3 In terms of traffic, behind the Acela (the corridor between Boston and Washington) as well as the project under construction on the California side.
The Regional Plan Association’s scoring system is “credible,” says Barrieau. The ranking takes into account elements such as accessibility to public transport networks in cities, population density, gross domestic product and the diversity of economies.
Impossible to know if the document of the BPC advances on the invoice and the technical constraints of a TGV because of the many redacted pages. Transport Canada says the bill could reach 65 billion for a Quebec-Toronto TGV and 40 billion for the corridor between Montreal and the Queen City.
The TGF, with railways reserved for passengers and trains that can travel up to 200 km / h, could cost up to 12 billion to connect cities like Quebec, Montreal and Toronto.
Many details of the TGF report, such as the different ridership scenarios, which could have given an idea of the demand for this type of service, have been redacted.
On this issue, Transport Canada states that ridership projections are “influenced by several factors that fall within the design of the project”, which is not finished.
“We will release more information in a timely manner,” one wrote, without specifying whether ridership forecasts will be released.
Unique situation
Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a TGV which can reach 300 km / h. Without commenting on what Ottawa should have done, Mr. Barrieau concedes that the TGV option is much more expensive. However, it should not be put aside, says the expert.
“There is a very simple solution to this, and that is to question the funding model,” he says. The current program starts from a faulty premise. The aim is not for public transport to be profitable, but to improve the quality of life as much as possible. ”
Transport Canada reiterated that it chose the TGF because it would bring benefits “faster” to travelers compared to high-speed rail. Ottawa also reiterates the savings in time and money.
PHOTO MARC GLUCKSMAN, FROM THE AMTRAK WEBSITE
The Acela is considered the busiest TGV in North America.
“The construction of the TGV would also take more time […] given that its implementation is much more complex, it is argued. The low cost of TGF is more advantageous. The development of a high-speed segment between Toronto and Montreal would approximately triple the cost of the project. ”
In North America, it is the Acela, an Amtrak train that runs in the Northeastern American rail corridor, which occupies the first four places on the charts thanks to very busy corridors like New York-Washington and Boston-New York. A downside: it travels at a speed that allows it to be considered a TGV over a tiny part of the 725 km journey. In several, however, its speed is higher than that of a TGF.
On the California side, the high-speed rail project, while progressing, is struggling with significant cost overruns and delays. The bill has practically tripled (98 billion US), while the commissioning, initially scheduled for 2020, has been postponed to at least 2029. Trains can reach speeds of 320 km / h.
In Texas, the Dallas-Houston corridor, estimated at US $ 16 billion, is in its infancy. According to the report obtained by Press, this project ranks behind the Montreal-Toronto section.
– With the collaboration of William Leclerc and Vincent Brousseau-Pouliot, Press