LOCATION: Ontario, Quebec, National

ISSUE/SOURCE: High Frequency Rail – General

DATE: September 2024

SUGGESTED RESPONSES

  • Canada is advancing the ambitious High Frequency Rail initiative, aimed at delivering faster, more frequent, and more reliable rail service between cities in the country's most densely populated region. This initiative will primarily utilize dedicated and electrified tracks to enhance connectivity.
  • On October 13, 2023, the Government launched the Request for Proposals (RFP). To maximize public benefits and innovation, each bidder developed two solutions with respect to speed: one that calls for trains that can reach a maximum speed of 200km/h, and one that includes speeds above 250km/h.
  • The procurement process is nearing completion. Proposals were received on July 24, 2024, and are now being evaluated. Once completed, the Government of Canada will select a private development partner to work with VIA HFR for the next phase of development.
  • The winning bidder will be selected to be the Private Developer Partner. Following the contract signature, VIA HFR and the Private Developer Partner will commence the Co-Development Phase, expected in late 2024 to early 2025.
  • The procurement has proceeded on schedule and the bidders are very engaged. Bidding teams have provided novel ideas that can be leveraged during Co-Development to improve the initiative, including shorter journey times and proposals for the preliminary alignment.
  • The Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities has just tabled its report entitled Issues and Opportunities: High Frequency Rail in the Toronto to Quebec City Corridor, to which the Government of Canada intends to provide a formal response this Fall/Winter. For more information, visit the House of Commons website.

IF PRESSED

  • To maximize public benefits and innovation, the Request for Proposals process required bidders to develop two solutions. The first solution must meet project outcomes and align with conventional rail speeds. The second solution is a more ambitious option that will significantly exceed project outcomes, including high speed alignments or segments.
  • This will allow the Government of Canada to assess the potential benefits and costs of integrating segments of high speed rail.

If pressed to provide a specific initiative cost estimate

  • At this time, it is too early to establish a specific cost for this initiative. Solutions presented throughout the procurement process will help inform cost estimates, which will be further refined throughout the Co-Development Phase once a Private Developer Partner has been successfully identified.

If pressed on impact on VIA Rail employees

  • The initiative will grow the need for passenger rail sector workers significantly. It is expected that many new jobs will be created for VIA Rail employees. The Government of Canda will ensure VIA Rail employees are protected by establishing mandatory requirements for the private developer partner by respecting VIA Rail employees’ collective agreements and benefits and by ensuring that all existing VIA Rail employees would benefit from the job opportunities the initiative would offer. No jobs will be lost.
  • Through their proposal, the Private Developer Partner must demonstrate that they will respect VIA Rail employees, their collective agreements and benefits, and commit to a collaborative approach with their unions. Any proposal that does not meet these criteria will not be considered by the Government of Canada.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  • On February 17, 2023, the Government of Canada launched the Request for Qualifications, a major step in the procurement process. This Request for Qualifications process closed in April 2023, and on July 20, 2023, the Government of Canada announced the three groups selected to be bidders in the Request for proposals process.   The three bidding Consortia are:
  • Cadence - CDPQ Infra, Atkins-Réalis, Systra Canada, Keolis Canada, Air Canada, SNCF Voyageurs S.A
  • Intercity Rail Developers / Développeurs Ferroviaires Interurbains - Intercity Development Partners, Meridiam, Kilmer Transportation, First Rail Holdings, Jacobs, Hatch, CIMA+, RATP Dev Canada, First Group, Renfe Operadora, DF Canada Infrastructure Group Inc.
  • Partenaires Ferroviaires QCONNEXION Rail Partners - Fengate, John Laing, Bechtel, WSP, Deutsche Bahn. 
  • The purpose of the Request for Qualifications was to identify and qualify up to three top respondents. These top respondents have been invited to participate in the Request for Proposals process, which will eventually lead to the selection of a private developer partner. This private developer partner would work collaboratively with VIA HFR to co-develop and optimize the High Frequency Rail initiative. 
  • On October 13, 2023, the Government launched the HFR Request for Proposals (RFP). To maximize public benefits and innovation, each bidder developed two solutions with respect to speed: one that calls for trains that can reach a maximum speed of 200km/h, and one that includes speeds above 250km/h.
  • The RFP process is nearing completion. Proposals were received on July 24, 2024, and are currently being evaluated. Once completed, the Government of Canada will select a private development partner to work with VIA HFR for the next phase of development.

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