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Originally Posted by SlickFranky
The more I think about HSR, the less excited I get. While I agree Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal could use that service, I think the rest of the corridor really just needs better service. If we could just double-track the rest of those lines we could avoid the freight trains and run the current set at the speeds they are already capable of. Do that, up the frequency, and we'll slowly build a more train-friendly culture where further investment makes more sense. Until then HSR seems like overkill.
The one that thing would totally change my mind is a connection to the Chicago-Detroit line that's been proposed for serious upgrades. With compatible systems a Toronto-Chicago train sounds amazing, but I haven't heard any mention of including passenger rail in either of the two bridge proposals.  |
I don't think HSR is a bad idea. Population density in Southern Ontario is already reaching a point where it can make it an economically viable proposition.
In fact, SW Ontario looks a lot like the UK, where you have a lot of small and medium-sized cities situated fairly close to one another and major metropolitan locales. To proactively manage highway congestion in those regions, high-speed rail has proven to be a necessity.
To my way of thinking, HSR proponents seem to be trying to kill four birds with one stone: resolve existing problems with passenger rail in SW Ontario, reduce congestion on the 401, improve linkages between metropolitan areas in this part of the province and last, but not least, create a boatload of jobs that will last a little while.
I don't think that SW Ontario currently has the real estate available to support two parallel rail systems. Remember that the 'green belt' that surrounds the GTA is one of several reasons why.
HSR actually makes sense for smaller centres as well. Paul Langan, one of the founders of High Speed Rail Canada, told me that in many parts of Europe, cities as small as 100,000 are building light rail systems and even high-speed rail stations if they're close enough to the main HSR lines. In other words, they're not just waiting for population growth to become a reality but actually anticipating it.