The Alto high-speed rail project is receiving renewed federal backing, with Canada’s 2026 budget placing the proposed Toronto-Québec City passenger railway among the country’s major national infrastructure priorities.
The Ontario-Quebec corridor has been referred to the federal Major Projects Office, a move intended to accelerate approvals and coordinate the regulatory process for one of Canada’s largest proposed transportation projects. The federal government is also pursuing legislative changes designed to speed up land acquisition and allow certain preparatory activities to move forward more quickly.
According to Budget 2026, approximately $1.7 billion is planned through 2031 to support the co-development of the Alto railway. The funding is intended to advance planning, engineering, design, consultations and other preparatory work. It does not represent the cost of building the railway.
Alto is proposing a roughly 1,000-kilometre electrified high-speed railway connecting Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. Trains could reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, with the potential to significantly reduce travel times between major communities.
The project is being developed through a partnership between the federal Crown corporation Alto and private-sector partner Cadence.
Ottawa has identified the Ottawa-Montreal section as the first segment, with construction currently targeted to begin in 2029, subject to planning, approvals and land acquisition.
The Major Projects Office is intended to help streamline federal approvals for major infrastructure investments, reducing duplication and improving coordination between departments.
While the federal government is committing substantial funding to advance the project, the overall construction price remains undetermined.
A report released October 1 by the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated construction costs for Alto’s proposed eastern corridor could range between $75 billion and $113 billion, excluding a possible route modification involving Kingston.
The estimate reflects the challenges of building dedicated high-speed railway infrastructure across Ontario and Quebec, including tunnels, elevated structures, land acquisition and difficult terrain.
The federal government has previously indicated preliminary construction estimates of $60 billion to $90 billion, although those figures were not considered a final project budget.
The next stages of Alto’s development are expected to establish more detailed construction costs, project schedules and the railway’s final alignment.