Proposal to Transform Passenger in the Toronto - Québec City Corridor

To meet the challenges of passenger rail transportation in the Toronto - Québec City corridor, VIA Rail first proposed the High Frequency Rail (HFR) project to the Government of Canada in 2016. A project that would offer a faster, more frequent, accessible, and sustainable rail service in the most densely region of the country.

In 2022, Alto (previously VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.), was created as a new wholly owned subsidiary operating at arm's length from VIA Rail to manage the development and delivery of the project. A Request for Proposal was launched by the Government of Canada in 2023 to select a private sector partner to collaborate with to optimize the Alto project prior to a final investment decision by the Government of Canada.

In February 2025, the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada unveiled the consortium selected to design this ambitious project with Alto, while confirming funding for the development phase of a Toronto–Québec City rapid high-speed train network, one of the largest infrastructure endeavours in our country’s history.

To find out more on the project’s latest developments, please visit https://altotrain.ca/en/.