カナダ、初の高速鉄道計画発表　トロント─ケベック市間

【モントリオールＡＦＰ＝時事】カナダのジャスティン・トルドー首相は１９日、東部モントリオールで記者会見し、同国初の高速鉄道計画を発表した。路線はトロント─ケベック市間の約１０００キロで、最高速度約３００キロで結ぶ。首相は「カナダ史上最大のインフラプロジェクト」だと語った。（写真は、カナダ・モントリオールで記者会見するジャスティン・トルドー首相〈中央〉、アニタ・アナンド運輸相〈右〉ら）
　トロントとケベック市の間には人口の４４％に当たる約１８００万人が住む。高速鉄道は両市の間にある首都オタワ、モントリオールなどを経由する計画。首相によると、トロント─モントリオール間の所要時間が平均３時間となるなど、沿線各都市間の移動時間は現在の半分になる見込み。
　アニタ・アナンド運輸相は、政府は設計・開発に向け初期費用として３９億カナダ・ドル（約４１００億円）を計上したと説明した。具体的なルートや駅の選定、規制対応などに充てられる。
　建設工事終了のめどや総工費など詳細は明らかにされていない。
　建設はカナダのプロジェクトマネジメント会社ＣＤＰＱインフラやエンジニアリング大手アトキンスレアリス、エアカナダのほか、フランス国鉄（ＳＮＣＦ）などから成る企業連合が受注した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/20-17:03）

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced Canada's first high-speed rail line, connecting major hubs from Toronto to Quebec City, calling it the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history.
The corridor is home to 18 million people or 44 percent of Canada's population.
The plan is for the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) line to carry electric trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hour, with stops including Toronto, the capital Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.
This will be the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history, Trudeau told a news conference in Montreal.
It's a project fit for Canada: big and bold, he said, slashing travel times between cities in eastern Canada by half with trips from Toronto to Montreal projected to average three hours.
Transport Minister Anita Anand called it a nation-building exercise.
An initial Can$3.9 billion (US$2.75 billion), she said, has been earmarked by the government for design and development of the project, which was awarded in a bidding contest to a consortium led by Cadence.
This will include selecting the precise route and placement of stations, regulatory work and consultations.
No dates were provided for the project's completion, nor details on the total expected cost of construction.
The consortium includes CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRealis, Keolis, SYSTRA, SNCF Voyageurs, and Air Canada.
Canada has talked about building high-speed rail for decades, but this is the first time it has moved forward.
Government-owned Via Rail currently operates an aging fleet of passenger trains across Canada, sharing tracks with freight trains that have priority -- which often slows travel.
Trudeau said the high-speed rail line will address this overlap and the new electric trains will be better for the environment, providing an alternative to taking a plane or a car.
Martin Imbleau, who has been named president of the project dubbed Alto, noted that in this densely populated corridor, highways are more congested than ever (and) airports are stretched to their limits.
Like many European countries, the benefits are clear: a significant reduction in travel times between key cities, a significant boost in economic productivity and a fundamental shift in future urban development.
Canada is expected to go to the polls in the coming months and a new administration could still derail the project.