Several plans have been proposed for high-speed rail in Canada, the only G7 country that does not have any high-speed/higher-speed rail lines. In the press and popular discussion, there have been two routes frequently proposed as suitable for a high-speed rail corridor: Edmonton to Calgary via Red Deer and Windsor to Quebec City via London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Other proposed routes include international high-speed rail links between Montreal and Boston or New York City discussed by regional leaders, though little progress has been made. On April 10, 2008, an advocacy group, High Speed Rail Canada, was formed to promote and educate Canadians on the benefits of high-speed rail in Canada.
On February 19, 2025, the government announced a high-speed rail project in the Toronto–Quebec City corridor with speeds up to . The name of this service will be Alto.
Early high-speed rail in Canada CN Rail created an initial high-speed rail project with the UAC TurboTrain, in its Toronto–Montreal route during the 1960s. The TurboTrain achieved speeds as high as in regular service. The Turbo went in a speed run April 26, 1976, and may have attained even higher speeds in test runs in 1968–1969.
CN's, and later Via Rail's, TurboTrain service was marred with lengthy interruptions to address design problems and having to cope with poor track quality (accounted for by dual passenger-freight use). As such, the trains were operated at . The TurboTrain featured the latest technology advances such as passive coach tilting, Talgo attachment for rigid coach articulation, and gas-turbine power. The units were plagued by technical and reliability issues and were ultimately retired by 1982.
Beginning in the 1970s, a consortium of several companies started to study Bombardier Transportation's LRC, which was a more conventional approach to high-speed rail, in having separate cars and locomotives, rather than being an articulated train. Pulled by heavy conventional-technology diesel-electric locomotives designed for normal operating speed, it entered full-scale service in 1981 for Via Rail, linking cities in the Quebec City–Windsor corridor, but at speeds never exceeding the limit mandated by line signaling. It was the world's first active tilting train in commercial service.
Calgary–Edmonton
The Calgary–Edmonton corridor is about long and takes about three hours to traverse by car via the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
2004 Van Horne Institute study A 2011 update to a 2004 study by the Van Horne Institute concluded that "high-speed rail would bring significant benefits to the Calgary–Edmonton corridor and Alberta as a whole". The report also stated that the project would "generate between $3.7 and $6.1 billion in quantifiable benefits". The study considered three options: Upgrade of an existing Canadian Pacific freight route to allow trains up to using Bombardier's JetTrain, costing approximately $2.5 billion. A new dedicated passenger route, known as the "Green Field" route, also using the JetTrain, and costing approximately $3.7 billion. An electrified version of the Green Field route, using TGV-style trains running at , costing approximately $5 billion.
The report also found that there was little incremental benefit in running at rather than , and therefore recommended the first option.
On September 22, 2006, the government of Alberta announced that it was deploying video cameras along a stretch of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway to measure the number of cars that travel between the two cities.
The Calgary Herald reported on April 18, 2007, that the provincial government had purchased land in downtown Calgary for a possible station or terminal. On April 7, 2011, Premier Ed Stelmach said that the land being purchased for the new location of the Royal Alberta Museum could be used as the Edmonton terminal.
Government plans In 2011, Alberta Premier Alison Redford said that the high-speed rail was a priority for her, saying "such an initiative could unite the province and send a message to Canada and the world about Alberta's progress." However, during the 2012 Alberta provincial election campaign, none of the four main party leaders said that they denied the need for one, but said that it was a "maybe".
The Standing Committee on Alberta's Economic Future studied the feasibility of high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton in 2014. The committee also held hearings on the subject in early 2014 in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. The report released in May 2014 stated that although Alberta was not ready for high-speed rail, the government should start planning for it by acquiring land along a transportation corridor.
In 2015, the provincial New Democratic Party government stated it was reviving the possibility of a bullet train operating between Edmonton and Calgary. The Minister of Infrastructure, Brian Mason, said the government had issued a request for a proposal to plan and implement a study "to determine the future needs for the QE II highway" due to high traffic volumes. "The high-speed train between Edmonton and Calgary is something that we're beginning to ask about," said Mason. The line would cost between $2.6 and $7 billion depending on the type of technology used. Annual operating costs of a high-speed rail line were estimated to be anywhere from $88 million to $129 million. Via Rail stated that such projects 'pay for themselves.' and that the government should invest more in the Canadian rail industry. The Liberal government of Canada also endorsed and prioritized investing heavily in national and provincial infrastructure projects.
In April 2024, the United Conservative Party government announced a Passenger Rail Master Plan to assess the feasibility of a province-wide passenger rail network that could include high-speed rail services between Calgary and Edmonton. The master plan and its associated plan for delivery of services over a 15-year period were expected to be completed by summer 2025.
Prairie Link On July 8, 2021, EllisDon formed a partnership with AECOM to plan a high-speed rail line between Calgary and Edmonton, running through Red Deer. The group formed by the partnership is named Prairie Link. EllisDon estimated the project would cost $9 billion. The project was to be entirely financed by the private sector. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed with Alberta had no financial commitment from the government. The director of Prairie Link, Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, said that "The MOU essentially sets the stage for a cooperative relationship between Prairie Link and the government to support project development." Prairie Link also emphasized that regulatory issues would also be discussed with the government since there is little regulation for high-speed rail in Alberta.
, the project was in the planning and development phase. Construction was projected to begin in 2023 and last 7–9 years. The trains would have been capable of reaching speeds of , well over the threshold needed for newly built lines to qualify as high-speed under the general definition of the term.
2026 Alberta Passenger Rail Master Plan On June 5, 2026, the provincial government released its Passenger Rail Master Plan, which provided an updated goal to build greenfield high-speed rail targeting between downtown Edmonton and downtown Calgary via Red Deer, with possibly additional stops at the cities' international airports.
Quebec City–Windsor
The Quebec City–Windsor corridor is the most densely populated and heavily industrialized region of Canada. With over 18 million people, it contains approximately half of Canada's population, the national capital, and three of the four largest metropolitan areas in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa). It is already the focus of most Via Rail service. , 28 studies have been completed on the idea of high-speed rail in the Ontario-Quebec Corridor. In early 2025, a private consortium was awarded a contract to co-design the Alto high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec, with funding to build the line to be committed at a later date.
1995 study
This study was initiated in 1992. The scope included "medium-fast" and very fast (more than ) technologies. It produced three reports: Quebec-Ontario High Speed Rail Project, Preliminary Routing Assessment and Costing Study, Final Report and Québec-Ontario High Speed Rail Project, Final Report.
Lynx consortium In 1998, the Lynx consortium, including Bombardier and SNC-Lavalin proposed a high-speed train from Toronto to Quebec City via Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal based on the TGV and the French Turbo-Train technology.
Bombardier JetTrain In 2000, Bombardier developed the JetTrain. The high-speed train prototype generates its power to turn the wheels with a Pratt and Whitney turbine. The Jet Train visited Calgary and Toronto in March 2003. The prototype then visited Miami on 7 October 2003 and Orlando on the 11th. After these promotional stops in the United States and Canada, no government purchased the Jet Train. The prototype is stored serviceable in Pueblo, Colorado, United States.
2008 study On January 10, 2008, Dalton McGuinty (Premier of Ontario), and Jean Charest (Premier of Quebec) announced their two provinces would conduct a joint $2 million feasibility study into the development of high-speed rail in the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The federal government agreed to participate in the study. In February 2009, The EcoTrain Consortium, consisting of firms Dessau, MMM Group, KPMG, Wilbur Smith & Associates and Deutsche Bahn, were awarded a contract to update the feasibility studies for high-speed rail (HSR) in the Quebec City–Windsor corridor. The study was expected to take a year, but was delayed. Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party, said in 2011 that he would agree to fund the Quebec corridor and described it as a means to unite the country, similar to early railway projects in Canada. His NDP counterpart, Jack Layton, also pledged to fund the route.
When the results of the study were released October 17, 2011, by the citizens group High Speed Rail Canada, it revealed results for two technology alternatives: diesel traction and electric traction. Diesel traction would provide speeds of and would cost $18.9 billion for an entire Windsor–Quebec City system; a Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto system would cost $9.1 billion. Electric traction would provide speeds of and would cost $21.3 billion for an entire Windsor–Quebec City system; a Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto system would cost $11 billion. The study further revealed that a Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto system is the most economically viable section and could generate a net economic benefit using either diesel or electric traction.
After the report had been released, politicians and Chamber in Windsor area argued that having the less-expensive "higher speed rail" connection between Detroit and Windsor must be part of the consideration. Detroit is already part of higher speed rail initiative in the United States to connect to Chicago and to St. Louis. They suggested that a study to include cross-border connection would account for greater economic impact.
Developments after 2014 In an interview with CBC Radio on April 15, 2014, ahead of the 2014 Ontario general election, Ontario Minister of Transportation Glen Murray announced that high-speed rail would be constructed between London, Kitchener, and Toronto within 10 years. Murray released further details on April 30. Select results from a study prepared by a consultancy based in London, England, First Class Partnerships, was released to the public. The FCP study considered options including continuing the existing service with LRC trains, incremental upgrading of the existing line with faster and more diesels, and construction of new sections of line. However the full FCP study was not publicly released.