High-speed rail project runs into rural opposition
· Toronto Sun
MONTREAL – A proposed high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City faces growing opposition from some rural Ontarians and Quebecers.
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A grassroots coalition of farmers, small-town residents and municipal councillors say the corridor would sever their communities, prompt hundreds of land expropriations and offer locals few benefits while costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
Caroline Stephenson of Madoc, Ont., worries the walled-off, 1,000-kilometre track will block country roads and create longer, bottleneck-prone drives for commuters and first responders.
Stephane Alary, a regional president of Quebec’s farmers union, joined a demonstration last week that saw a long line of tractors rumble through the streets of Mirabel north of Montreal to protest what he calls a “catastrophe” in the making.
Two possible corridors for the project
The Crown corporation overseeing the project is weighing two possible corridors for Eastern Ontario, with one tracing a direct line between Ottawa and Peterborough and the other arcing along a more southerly path between the two cities.
Construction of the first phase of the dedicated rail line is set to kick off in 2029 or 2030, linking Montreal and Ottawa in an effective test case for what would be a massive infrastructure project intended to transform rail travel in Canada’s most densely populated region.