New high frequency rail CEO says project could include direct link between Toronto and Montreal
Bill Curry
Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief, Ottawa
The Globe and Mail
Published October 19, 2023
Martin Imbleau, the new CEO of the federal high frequency rail team that is aiming to build 1,000 kilometres of dedicated Via Rail passenger service between Quebec City and Toronto, is well aware of the problems with large rail projects.
But he says his office has a pre-emptive plan to ensure cost and timeline projections prove reliable.
By bringing in global rail and construction leaders into the detailed planning stages, he said the goal is to have potential issues identified early on by the companies that will ultimately build the new lines.
“Fundamentally, it’s don’t go out too soon and provide calendars and cost estimates without having done your homework,” he said. “You’ll make a nice announcement, but you’ll regret it.”
In his first English-language interview as chief executive officer, Mr. Imbleau told The Globe and Mail that the ultimate cost of the multibillion-dollar project needs to be considered with a long-term view.
“This is a service for the next generations,” he said, describing young urban Canadians as far less car-dependent than their parents.
“We will be the link between the new commuting systems being developed in the cities,” he said.
The VIA HFR team operates as an arm’s-length subsidiary of VIA Rail and is a dedicated project office.
The project, which has not yet received final funding approval from the federal cabinet, envisions a new dedicated passenger rail line that would be more than 1,000 kilometres in length. It would connect Quebec City and Toronto, with stops in Trois-Rivières, Montreal, Ottawa and Peterborough. It would run north of the tracks currently used by Via Rail. The current route is primarily owned by CN Rail CNR-T, which gives priority to freight traffic.
Mr. Imbleau also commented on details of the plan, saying it may include a line linking Toronto and Montreal that bypasses Ottawa and incorporates high-speed segments. High-speed trains in Europe can travel 300 kilometres an hour or more.
“This is an option to be considered,” he said. “Of course, the link between Montreal and Toronto would be faster if you don’t go through Ottawa. But the cost and the scope is significantly different.”
Earlier estimates had said the project would bring travel times between Montreal and Toronto to around four hours, including a stop in Ottawa. Current travel times are a little more than five hours. The project also promises significantly more daily trips.
While the project was originally pitched as an alternative to driving, Mr. Imbleau said the increasing congestion in and around airports could see flyers making the switch to rail as well.
“The journey time that we’re targeting, which is Montreal-Toronto below four hours, that’s a game changer,” he said. Driving between Canada’s two largest cities generally takes about six hours. Flights take about an hour, but travellers must account for travel to and from the airport and the need to arrive early.
Via is currently replacing its aging trains with new Siemens Venture trainsets, which can travel at a speed of up to 200 kilometres an hour, but the current class of track limits top speeds to 160 km/h. Mr. Imbleau said different trains may be needed if high-speed segments are included in the final plan.
The government announced Mr. Imbleau’s appointment as the first CEO of VIA HFR Inc. on July 31 and it took effect Sept. 8. His expertise is in managing large infrastructure projects, though he does not come from a rail background.
His is the former president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority. Prior to that, he was a vice-president at Hydro-Québec.
The current sharing of rail lines with freight is the main reason cited by Via for why its routes struggle to stay on time and why it is not able to add more frequent trips. Cities along that route – such as Belleville, Kingston, Saint-Hyacinthe and Drummondville, would continue to be served by passenger trains that operate on shared lines with freight.
The federal government announced on Oct. 13 that it launched a request for proposals for the project. Earlier in July, Ottawa announced three finalist consortiums that will be allowed to participate in the process.
The three consortiums now have until the summer of 2024 to submit detailed plans. Each group must submit two options: one that only involves high-frequency rail using traditional trains and tracks at top speeds of about 200 kilometres an hour, as well as a second option in which higher speeds are reached on some segments.
The government said this process will allow for a “rigorous assessment of the costs and benefits of incorporating high-speed rail on each segment of the corridor.”
When Via was promoting the idea in 2017, it pegged the cost at between $4-billion and $6-billion. Former transport minister Omar Alghabra speculated in 2021 that the project could cost between $6-billion and $12-billion.
The recent decision to potentially include high-speed segments would likely drive the total price higher. High-speed rail is more expensive because it requires full-grade separation at road crossings and straighter routes.
Variables that will affect the cost include how many new bridges will be built, how many safety features will be included, and how the trains will enter and exit cities.
“There is no way I could have a credible evaluation of the cost today because the scope of the project is not even defined,” Mr. Imbleau said.
Pierre LeFevre, who was a former senior adviser to the VIA CEO until 2019 and has studied the issue extensively, said high-speed rail is typically three to five times more expensive. He said extensive studies of high-speed rail have persuaded him that the added costs are not worth the potentially marginal increase in ridership.
“I think the government is going about it the right way, saying, ‘Okay, let’s see what you creative private guys can come up with.’ “ he said.
“But as somebody who studied the corridor intently for five years, and all the other train systems that look like it around the world, I’ll be very curious to see if somebody is going to come up with something that’s going to justify the cost of changing the model.”
Follow Bill Curry on Twitter: @curryb
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) and off we go. Enjoy a nice breakfast and a gin and tonic and arrive in Toronto just after noon (no delays, we arrived on time). Walk over to the GO station and get on the train for Waterfront West. Arrive there on time and head up James Street to my hotel. Didn't realize James Street held the Grey Cup Festival so the walk to downtown was a pleasant affair. 
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