Toronto area might get two stops on Canada's 300km/h high-speed rail line

The CEO of Canada's high-speed rail project says the GTA could be getting two stations instead of just one that was originally planned for Toronto.

During an interview with The Canadian Press, Martin Imbleau — who serves as the CEO of Alto, the federal Crown corporation leading the project — said the GTA "will probably require a secondary station."

While no concrete plans have been made as of yet, the CEO says the station would most likely be positioned in a Toronto-area suburb, which would attract more passengers from the region and provide earlier access to the line while the downtown Toronto station is completed.

The rail line is expected to reach speeds of up to 300 km/hour and cut travel times down significantly, with a trip between Toronto and Montreal taking just three hours instead of over five hours. Other confirmed stops on the forthcoming line include Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City.

The network would run along 1,000 kilometres of dedicated and mainly electrified tracks, with 72 daily trains. Construction on the central segment of the line (between Montreal and Ottawa) is expected to start in 2029 or 2030. Each phase of construction is anticipated to take between seven and 10 years.

Alto says that at this stage of project planning, it's still too early to confirm construction start and completion dates for the eastern segment (Ottawa to Toronto) and the western segment, which spans from Montreal to Quebec City.

Still, the corporation notes that construction on the eastern and western segments will launch simultaneously, and work will begin before the central segment is completed.

While the upcoming high-speed rail line has sparked criticism from smaller communities and farmers, Alto estimates that the project, which will be Canada's first high-speed rail network, will boost GDP by up to $35 billion once in service.