Modernizing Passenger Rail with the High Frequency Rail Project

Location: Ontario, Quebec, National

Key messages:

  • The Government of Canada is committed to transforming intercity passenger rail for Canadians. Implementing the High Frequency Rail (HFR) project in the Toronto-Quebec City Corridor is a priority for Canada.

  • The HFR Project will be the largest rail transportation infrastructure project undertaken by Canada in generations. HFR will offer faster, more frequent, and more reliable services in Canada’s most densely populated Corridor, improving connections between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City.

  • HFR services will be safe, accessible and operate largely on dedicated, electrified tracks. HFR will offer an innovative and sustainable transportation option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project will also support regional growth and economic development in the Corridor by providing new services to communities that currently have no rail service (such as Peterborough and Trois-Rivières).

  • As the HFR Project is being delivered as a public-private partnership, Canada will work with the private partner on the project to assess sections of the project for potential high-speed rail, where value is provided for the additional investment.

  • The procurement process for the HFR Project is underway. In February 2023, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued. The Request for Qualifications process is now closed, and Canada qualified three bidders who have been invited to proceed to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage, scheduled to begin in September 2023.

Summary of Issue / Background:

  • The Government of Canada is committed to modernizing intercity passenger rail services in a way that will best meet the transportation needs of travellers, while also creating jobs and economic growth.

  • By providing more and better transportation options in Canada’s busiest travel corridor, the HFR Project will make rail travel more accessible and offer more flexibility for where people live and work. It will also support the long-term regional and economic growth of the country’s most densely populated region.

  • The High Frequency Rail Project will offer:
    • A faster, more frequent, and reliable transportation option for travellers in a heavily travelled corridor;
    • Improved connectivity between cities and with other modes of transportation;
    • An innovative and sustainable transportation option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
    • A safe and accessible transportation option.

  • On December 15, 2022, the Government of Canada announced the creation of VIA HFR-VIA TGF Inc. (VIA HFR), a new, wholly owned Crown corporation that will report to Parliament through the Minister of Transport. VIA HFR will operate as a dedicated project office for the HFR Project.
  • Once VIA HFR is fully operational, it will assume leadership of key project activities, including:
    • Indigenous consultations and public engagement,
    • advancing impact assessment requirements, negotiations with Host Railways, and
    • technical and engineering design work.
  • On March 10, 2022, Canada released the Request for Expressions of Interest for the HFR Project. The objective of the Request for Expressions of Interest was to share information with interested industry participants and obtain feedback on the HFR Project, including with respect to transaction and procurement structure. 

  • The ultimate goal of the procurement process would be to select a private developer partner that can bring world-class innovation and expertise to deliver the best results for Canadians in a sustainable, reliable, accessible, and environmentally conscious way.

  • The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released in February 2023. It outlined the context and features of the HFR Project, the procurement process, key players in the process, and project outcomes that the private developer partner will be expected to meet or exceed. Canada qualified three bidders who have been invited to proceed to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage, scheduled to begin in September 2023.

  • Following the selection of a private developer partner, a co-development process will be undertaken to finalize project design. The HFR project is expected to be operational in the 2030s.

  • The procurement process for the HFR Project is designed to encourage innovation, provide flexibility and allow for the engagement of a private partner early in the process to identify the optimal solution for the project. The private partner will be mandated to examine the benefits and costs of solutions that exceed the expectations that will be set for the project as described in the Request for Qualifications.

  • Notably, the private partner will be asked to consider options that would allow for increased speeds beyond 200 kilometers per hour on certain segments of the project, if cost-effective. This approach will allow high-speed train segments to be built where it is financially viable and technically feasible to do so.
  • Since the project’s inception, the Government of Canada has demonstrated commitment to engaging Canadians, including communities along the proposed route, as well as communities currently served by VIA Rail between Quebec City and Toronto.

  • The Government of Canada is equally committed to building nation-to-nation, relationships with Indigenous Peoples. Input and feedback from Indigenous Peoples throughout the life of the project will be essential to developing an effective project that creates mutually beneficial socio-economic development and project participation opportunities.

  • VIA HFR is actively consulting and sharing information with Indigenous communities and organizations. The participation of Indigenous Peoples is essential to the success of HFR, and the Government of Canada will seek a private developer partner that prioritizes and values meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples. The Government of Canada will also carefully consider any views and knowledge provided by Indigenous Peoples throughout the project and encourage collaboration with Indigenous businesses.

  • Transport Canada and VIA HHFR will continue to have an inclusive and ongoing dialogue and provide opportunities for the public, communities, and Indigenous Peoples to share views and perspectives on all aspects of the project, which will help inform how this project is designed and developed.

  • The HFR Project will be the largest investment in passenger rail in many generations and one of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects in the last half-century. Recognizing the project’s size and scale, the Government is inviting the best Canadian and international developers to compete and present innovative approaches to optimize, deliver and operate HFR over the next 30 years. This collaborative approach will promote innovation, reduce risk, improve risk management, provide the best value to Canadians, and ultimately deliver a world-class service.