High-speed train proposals and promises have become a regular occurrence in Southern Ontario. But perhaps this time it will become a reality.
On Friday, Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynn, announced a high-speed railway between Toronto and Windsor, Ontario.
“The best time to have built high speed rail was 40 years ago. The second best time is today,”
Windsor is the southern-most point in Canada and the border city across the river from the U.S. city of Detroit,
It’s one of the most heavily travelled border crossings between the two countries.
“This is an idea that has been around a very long time. This has been talked about for decades.
The best time to have built high speed rail was 40 years ago. The second best time is today,” Premier Kathleen Wynne said in London, Ontario.
“The Toronto-Windsor corridor is home to over seven million people and 60 per cent of Ontario’s economy. At its centre is London. We’re outgrowing our current transportation network,” the premier said.
And with younger people keen on greener, low-carbon transportation alternatives, 10 million passengers a year could be using the line by 2041, according to Wynne.
The project, estimated at $21-billion (Cdn), would cut the travelling time from four hours to two.
Beginning at Toronto’s downtown Union Station, the line would include stops at Pearson International Airport, the high-tech hub of Kitchener-Waterloo, then on to Guelph, London, Chatham and Windsor.
A new governing body will oversee the design and implementation, the premier said, beginning with a $15 million (Cdn) “comprehensive environmental assessment”
The Toronto to London line could be running by 2025, with the completion to Windsor, by 2031.
With files from the Toronto Star and Radio Canada.
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