Alto High Speed Rail

[Kramata]

I think if someone wants to 'look out for Ottawa' the best thing to advocate for is contract terms that can allow negotiation on rail usage by non-Alto players instead almost treating Alto as a commuter rail agency.

Let's think ahead to a pretend scenario 3 decades ahead, Alto is wildly successful and Tremblay is bustling while the west end has and continues to grow. Maybe there's enough justification to use one of those old western railroad lines as a commuter line to Tremblay.

If we have a 99+ year contract that Alto can shut down any discussion and there is no mechanism for sharing the tracks or right of way, then it will be very difficult legally compared to if the contract has a mechanism for government or private entities to make use of an opportunity. 30-minute headway plus proper signalling can leave room for other services.

The risks of such contracts is that it can make partners nervous as it can leave them more open to unexpected costs, so that needs to be kept in mind. However it is less of a problem compared to scope creep with questionable economic benefit based on today's numbers.

We should let the line be built as effectively as possible and also leave mechanisms in place that allow add-ons and changes