Ottawa to be included on potential high-speed rail line

Ottawa will be a major stop along an incoming high speed rail line, which will soon be announced by the federal government.

During the Toronto Global Forum held Oct. 16-18, Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed the government is reviewing bids for the project.

"The government of Canada is going ahead with one of three bids that we have now received for high frequency, high speed rail," the minister said.

"Those bids are under consideration now and a decision will be made about the future for this country."

The potential high speed rail line would connect Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City along a 1000-kilometre corridor, with the train reaching speeds of 300 km per hour in select spots.

Paul Langan, founder of advocacy group High Speed Rail Canada says that addition of high-speed rail in that section of the country would be a "game-changer."

"This is one way for us to catch up to other parts of the world that have been doing it for a half a century," Langan tells CTV News.

"The number one thing about this project is we'd have our own track," he says, referring to VIA’s dependance on the CN railway and the sharing of the tracks with freight trains.

"We can run as many trains as we want, as frequent, as fast as we want, to go from A to B."

Commuters at Ottawa's Via Rail station Thursday said they are ready to jump on board the high-speed train.

"It's a good system," said Adriana Affinito. "Japan does it. I think Germany has one as well. So, it's one that will catch up to those countries."

"For long distances, it's great because it cuts down the travel," said Claude Paul Boivin, who was catching the train to Montreal.

"I would applaud any move to have a fast train between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal."

In a statement Thursday, Transport Canada said, "No contract has been awarded to a consortium for the rail project in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor."

An announcement date for the project has is also yet to be determined.

At the Toronto Global Forum, Anand said the addition of high-speed light rail would improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and allow for more housing to be built along rail lines.

Langan says that it is too early to speculate on the cost of the project and when high speed rail could be running in Canada, noting the importance of selecting a consortium with a proven track record.

"If we pick a company that does it all the time, that will influence the timeline and that will influence the price," said Langan.

"We don't know till the consortium comes forward, we see the one chosen, and we evaluate their proposal."