The High Frequency Rail (HFR) project is a proposed investment in new infrastructure to transform passenger rail service in Canada. This new sustainable train network will run on mostly dedicated tracks at higher frequencies, higher speeds and with greater reliability between Toronto and Québec City, making it faster and easier for people travelling in Canada’s most populated areas — for work or play.

The HFR project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Canada’s history. With over 1,000 km of new passenger rail service planned between major city-centres including Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Québec City, HFR will help build a better future for Canadians with new trains, and mostly electrified and dedicated passenger tracks, that will serve Canada’s growing population.

HFR — with over 1,000 km of rail between major cities including Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Québec City — will provide Canada’s most populated areas with a new rail service operating mostly on electrified and dedicated passenger tracks, at higher frequencies, higher speeds and with greater reliability.

The HFR project will provide a greener, more accessible and more convenient way for Canadians to travel as our population grows. People will be able to connect between these major Canadian cities and communities for work, school and personal travel, helping to support the Canadian economy. By using trains with electrified technology, Canadians who travel the HFR network will help Canada’s efforts to reach greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

HFR will also benefit travellers on VIA Rail’s shared-track services between Toronto and Québec City. Arrival and departure times will be optimized for the convenience of commuters, leisure travellers and tourists alike, meaning that you can get to where you need to be when you need to be there.

Moving passenger services to dedicated tracks will also release capacity on the freight network improving current and future freight capacity and help support Canadian economic growth.

Train passengers—who travel for business or leisure—can expect more departures, improved schedules, reliability, and shorter travel times, making rail a more attractive option for intercity travel.

The HFR project will put passengers first by:

• Achieving greater connectivity for people living in and around major cities and communities between Toronto and Québec City, and to major airports and universities/ colleges in the region.
• Providing safe travel that meets Transport Canada's highest requirements. Reducing the environmental footprint with sustainable energy resources powering trains, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting Canada’s sustainable development priorities in climate resilient infrastructure.
• Supporting economic growth by creating new employment opportunities in infrastructure, in new centres of economic activity and bringing people closer to markets and businesses.
• Promoting a competitive marketplace that gives Canadians more flexibility and affordable options for intercity travel.
• Increasing equitable access to passenger services for all people regardless of physical ability or socio-economic background.

High Frequency Rail will make a meaningful contribution to addressing climate change priorities in the transportation sector by offering a mostly electric-powered passenger rail service in Canada’s most densely populated region. This transformative project will provide a sustainable transportation alternative for generations to come. Passenger rail travel currently accounts for only 2 percent of all trips through the region; cars account for 94 percent. There will be a direct environmental benefit to shifting some of those who use cars to a greener passenger train service.

With electrification on the HFR dedicated tracks, dual-powered trains may still be required for portions of the route owned by third parties, such as freight railway companies, that are not yet electrified, and when HFR trains travel through these track segments they will run on diesel or battery.

The HFR Team is led by Transport Canada and includes members from Public Services and Procurement Canada, Infrastructure Canada, VIA HFR and VIA Rail. Each organization has clearly defined roles and responsibilities during the procurement phases. The HFR Team is also supported by multiple advisors, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, who offer a wide range of experience and expertise and who are committed to collaboration and project optimization. The Department of Justice is the legal counsel to the Government of Canada.

At this time, the route HFR will travel is not yet finalized. The Government of Canada has announced that Canada’s new rail service on dedicated passenger tracks would travel between Toronto and Québec City, passing through Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal and Trois-Rivières. Technical analysis and discussions with communities and Indigenous Peoples are ongoing to further our journey towards a final route selection.

Some of this work will be done in collaboration with a private-sector development partner. To deliver this ambitious vision and project, the Government of Canada is proposing a co-development approach to implement the HFR project. After the conclusion of a competitive procurement process, which has already commenced, and through the RFQ and RFP stages, the government will engage the selected partner to advance and optimize the design and scope of the HFR project.

In 2021, a group of independent advisors to the HFR project worked on estimating the number of people who would use the new services in the Windsor-Québec corridor. To do this, they had to perform several activities:

• Identify where it could be reasonable to build the new dedicated rail infrastructure so that people could travel faster between cities.
• Identify any technical problems that might arise when building and running the new rail service.
• Collect information about how people currently travel between cities and how often they do it. They looked at travellers who use automobiles, trains, planes, and buses.
• Study the different route options to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each one (cheapest, fastest, most reliable, and most convenient for people).
• Survey people who currently travel by train, or who might be interested in traveling by train, to identify what factors influence their travel choices.
• Examine how often the trains could be run and how much it will cost to ride them.
• Investigate past travel patterns and use this information to predict how many people will travel in the corridor in the future. They considered indicators such as changes in population, economic activity and technology.
• Use computer models to estimate how many of them could start using the new rail service instead of driving, flying, or taking the bus.
• As the planning and definition of the project progresses, the Integrated HFR Project Team is constantly reviewing and revisiting these estimates to ensure forecasts are up to date.

A project of this complexity involves a procurement process that would culminate with the selection of a private-sector development partner to co-develop and execute the project.

With the partner selected, the project will move into a design phase. This phase may last four years or longer, and will involve an impact assessment and other regulatory reviews. Following the assessment, VIA HFR and the private-sector partner will deliver a project proposal to the Government of Canada for its final investment decision. Should the government accept the proposal, VIA HFR and the private-sector partner will build the new railway. It is anticipated that passenger operations would begin in the mid-2030s. 

Click to view the project delivery model.

The procurement phase timeline:

• Activity: Government of Canada issues Request for Proposals (RFP)
  • Timeframe (estimated): September 2023
• Activity: Deadline for response to RFP
  • Timeframe (estimated): September 2024

While it is too early to determine exact service levels, the introduction of High Frequency Rail (HFR) will allow VIA HFR to provide more responsive service to communities on VIA Rail's existing local service routes between Toronto and Québec City.

Introduction of the HFR project will allow a re-design of existing operating frequencies on VIA Rail’s shared-track infrastructure between Toronto and Québec City. Arrival and departure times can, with the HFR project, be optimized for the convenience of travellers, meaning that with improved schedules you can get to where you need to be when you need to be there.

No. VIA Rail Canada will remain a Crown corporation owned by all Canadians. High Frequency Rail will dramatically expand and improve passenger rail service in Canada.

Under this collaborative model, VIA HFR has been established to act as a strong public sector counterpart to a private-sector partner. It will enter into a contract with this partner to design the HFR and, if the government accepts the design proposal, to enter into a long-term contract to build HFR, and operate and maintain passenger rail service in the Québec City to Toronto corridor. That contract will require the private-sector development partner to respect the contracts VIA Rail Canada has established with the unions representing its employees.

The Government of Canada will retain ownership of VIA Rail, its assets, and VIA HFR. As part of this process, the Government of Canada will require any private-sector development partner to respect VIA Rail Canada’s collective agreements and benefits, and to demonstrate how they will work with VIA Rail’s employees and unions. These criteria will be mandatory and any proposal that does not meet them will be deemed unacceptable by the Government of Canada.

The Canada Labour Code compels the private-sector development partner to employ unionized employees on the terms and conditions of applicable collective agreements at the time of their transfer. It also ensures the basic premise of continuity in the employment conditions of non-unionized employees that would transfer into the High Frequency Rail project.

Furthermore, in addition to the legal obligations under the Canada Labour Code, contractual obligations to ensure such continuity could also be imposed on the employer in the contract, including an obligation to employ any employees whose employment would not be automatically transferred by operation of law. As a federally regulated employer, other notable federal legislation pertaining to workers includes the Accessibility Act and Employment Equity Act.

The Government of Canada will ensure that the public interest is maintained, for example, through an equitable fare policy and minimum service requirements for local communities.

More details on the transition of operations to the private sector will become available over time and at key decision milestones, such as following the Request for Proposals and the co-development phase.

To develop and implement the HFR project, Canada incorporated VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc. on November 29, 2022 as a wholly owned subsidiary of VIA Rail.

VIA HFR will oversee and manage the implementation and delivery of the Co-Development Phase. It will act as the project authority and a strong public sector counterparty to the eventual private-sector development partner (PDP). As it scales up, VIA HFR will take over the leadership of key project activities and will work collaboratively with the private partner to co-develop and optimize the HFR project.

VIA HFR, a Crown corporation, reports directly to Parliament through the Minister of Transport. It operates at arm’s length from the government with the flexibility, independence and corporate agility required to advance this large infrastructure project.

Once HFR is in service, VIA Rail is expected to continue operating its long-distance services from Toronto to Vancouver and from Montréal to Halifax.

Yes. A review by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is one of several government reviews of the HFR project. Others include a review by the Canadian Transportation Agency. VIA HFR has already begun outreach and engagement activities with communities and Indigenous Peoples who may be interested in or affected by the HFR project. These engagement activities will continue throughout the project development period.

For more information on our plans and commitment related to the Impact Assessment Process please visit our What’s Happening page.

For more information on Canada’s Impact Assessment Policy, please visit the Government of Canada’s website.

The HFR project would improve Canada’s environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It would offer people an option with a much lower carbon footprint than cars or planes. And, with more of us working from home, the HFR project has the potential to create more opportunities for people to live in the community of their choice by making travel, including commuting, a greener, more accessible and more convenient option.

As part of building a greener, more accessible, and sustainable transportation project, we have also initiated outreach and engagement activities with communities and Indigenous Peoples who may be directly affected by the HFR project.

Your input is essential to help guide the final design for HFR, including curve optimizations, locations for stations, maintenance facilities and temporary work areas, bridge and tunnel designs, and any mitigations needed to avoid or reduce environmental or social impacts.

Field studies allow us to better understand current environmental, health, social and economic conditions. These provide points of reference that will help decision-makers understand how a project could change these conditions, and to prescribe specific protection if needed.

Environmental field studies help us to record and understand environmental conditions so that we can plan to protect them. Each study occurs outdoors and may involve both direct observation and data collection. These studies are iterative and will continue for many years. They will help inform any future impact assessment and regulatory review processes.

For more information on our plans related to Field Studies please visit our Field Studies page.

The Government of Canada has contracted external advisors with expertise in railway planning, engineering, and operations to analyze options that would support its commitment to improve passenger rail service in Southwestern Ontario. The results of this work are expected at the end of 2023. After that, the Government of Canada will be able to explore further the feasibility of integrating Southwestern Ontario into the High Frequency Rail project. This would include collaboration with VIA HFR and the private-sector development partner during the co-development phase.

The two systems differ in speed, infrastructure requirements, and station locations.

Speed: A high-speed train would run at speeds well above the maximum speed of 177 km/h allowed on tracks with level crossings for vehicles and pedestrians. For the HFR project, the private-sector development partner will have the flexibility to explore opportunities for higher speeds on segments of track where this would make financial and operational sense.

Infrastructure requirements: Compared to High Frequency Rail, a full high-speed rail system would require more time and money to build a fully enclosed (fenced) corridor, a straighter alignment with full, double tracking to allow trains to run unobstructed in both directions, as well as complete separation of the railway from crossing traffic. Over 1,000 public and private crossings between Toronto and Québec City and Toronto would need to be closed. Many would replaced with overpasses and tunnels.

Stops and Stations: High-speed rail systems are usually designed to optimize travel between two major cities, with limited stops in between. Stations are also usually located outside city centres. High Frequency Rail would be capable of serving smaller communities between major cities and reaching busy downtown stations.

The Government of Canada is implementing a robust, cost-management strategy for High Frequency Rail to ensure it transforms the way that Canadians move, work, and live. As part of this cost-management strategy, the private-sector developer partner will be incentivized to innovate and reduce costs to create better value for money, while protecting the public interest. It also includes annual cost updates from the private-sector partner, recurring due diligence, open-book reporting to manage costs and scope changes, as well as specific measures at every phase of the project.

All of these measures combined will ensure the Government of Canada is advancing the High Frequency Rail project in a financially responsible manner.

VIA Rail’s passenger rail services in the Québec City to Toronto corridor will continue to operate during the development of High Frequency Rail. Eventually, these local services will be integrated with High Frequency Rail services into a single network, and the private-sector development partner will be required to maintain connectivity to these existing communities in this corridor.

The implementation of High Frequency Rail offers the opportunity to improve services on these routes to better address local needs, such as more tailored service schedules. This work will be further explored during the co-development phase of the project.