Chris Malette, Bay of Quinte MP, is encouraging residents to take part in public consultation now open by Alto, the firm laying the groundwork for the 300-km/h, high-speed rail system.
Author of the article:
Derek Baldwin
Published Jan 18, 2026 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
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Rail firm Alto is now seeking comments from residents in the region and neighbouring ridings as the company lays preliminary groundwork for a new double-track, high-speed network from Toronto to Quebec City at a cost upwards of $60 billion to $90 billion. Photo by ALTO
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Alto, a Montreal-based Crown corporation chosen to build a proposed 1,000-kilometre, high-speed rail line through the Toronto-Quebec City corridor, is now considering an offshoot loop along its proposed Highway 7 route that could dip through lands just to the north of Belleville.
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The diversion could see the route split from Peterborough south-easterly down through Hastings County, onward to Kingston then proceed to Ottawa.
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If and when fully approved by the Canadian government, the high-speed train system running at 300 km/h would whisk passengers from Toronto to Ottawa in roughly two hours.
Alto, a subsidiary of VIA Rail, is now seeking comments from residents in the region and neighbouring ridings as the company lays preliminary groundwork for a new double-track network from Toronto to Quebec City at a cost upwards of $60 billion to $90 billion.
“Alto is moving ahead at high speed and we would like to hear your views on the corridor under study and your considerations on the various aspects of the project. Your feedback is essential to informing ongoing analysis, ensuring the most harmonious integration into the community and creating maximum positive impact for our communities.,” the company said.
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The comment period for the survey closes March 29 and can be found on the firm’s website.
Early projections call for the service start up in some segments of the corridor by 2037.
Chris Malette, Bay of Quinte MP, said in an Intelligencer interview Sunday the floor is open to residents to share their thoughts on the project announced February 19, 2025.
“Initially, right from the get-go, I always assumed it was going to run across roughly along Highway 7 corridor and up that way,” Malette said,” and through existing old rail lines. Unfortunately, I think some of those [lines] are now recreation trails.”
“I didn’t know that they were actually considering a southerly loop if we look at the map. I was unaware that was really in play, but of course if you look at it, it comes very close to the Bay of Quinte riding. It goes through northern reaches of Belleville.”
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Malette encouraged people to weigh in on the survey by Alto.
“I think it’s important for people to realize this is a possibility, that they see it as a benefit. I think everybody should be aware and one way of being aware is taking part in the process, So, the asking for input, as we did through our office, is just another way of making sure that folks are informed about what may or may not happen affecting our region.”
The consultations are being done in segments along the corridor after Alto announced in mid-December it is working on the Ottawa to Montreal leg of the service initially.
Martin Imbleau, Alto president and CEO, said at the time in a press release: “As consultations begin, we look forward to engaging with communities and hearing their perspectives firsthand.”
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The firm said on its website, “the duration of the development and pre-construction phase is estimated at four years, until 2029-2030. The high-speed rail proposal will then be submitted to the Government of Canada for approval to proceed.”
Construction “will be carried out in phases, each estimated to last between eight and 10 years. Commissioning will also be progressive, as soon as a section is completed. The first section will connect Ottawa to Montréal. This segment, which spans two provinces, offers a shorter and technically simpler route.”
Forward looking projections by Alto suggest “the project will create tens of thousands of jobs at every stage, including more than 50,000 jobs during construction. Alto will generate an annual economic impact of $24.5 billion” and $35 billion in GDP.
The rail system is expected to remove the “equivalent of 100,000 cars from the roads each year in the Québec City–Toronto corridor, thus helping to relieve the pressure on road networks,” the firm said.
