The high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Toronto will be much more expensive and much less profitable than its promoters claim, and will cause irreparable damage to the land of thousands of agricultural and maple syrup producers in Quebec and Ontario.
Based on a study conducted by three university researchers from HEC, Laval University and the University of Waterloo, the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) and the Canadian and Ontario Agricultural Federations are calling on Ottawa to re-examine the Alto high-speed rail project.
Experts and several representatives from the agricultural world – including those from the two federations outside Quebec – held a press conference Monday in Berthierville, in Lanaudière, to share their concerns about this megaproject.
The study by the three academics reports a return of $48 billion over 40 years, while the costs of the project are estimated by Alto at between $60 and $90 billion, an unrealistic and underestimated forecast according to these experts, who doubt the interest of the private sector to invest under these conditions.
Jacques Roy, a professor in the Department of Operations and Logistics Management at HEC Montréal, pointed out that the final section of the French high-speed rail line, between Bordeaux and Toulouse, will cost $112 million per kilometer, which would translate to a total cost of $112 billion for the Canadian project, planned to span 1,000 kilometers. According to him, colleagues in Ontario have arrived at a figure closer to $140 billion. Furthermore, he added, certain challenges, such as accessing the city centers of Montreal and Toronto, involve colossal expenses that have not yet been quantified.
Beyond the financial and logistical issues, the agricultural sector denounces the permanent loss of farmland and forests, and the fragmentation of land caused by the construction of infrastructure that represents an insurmountable barrier. Although Alto promises the construction of viaducts and tunnels under the tracks, the fact remains that many producers will have to take long detours to access parts of their land that would be bisected.
They also cite safety concerns due to the detours imposed on emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances, as well as school buses. They add that, in addition to the loss of farmland, the railway line will damage biodiversity and ecosystems and close wildlife corridors.
The UPA, which organized the event, is requesting access to the analyses that led to the choice of the TGV (high-speed train) over a high-frequency rail service (TGF), which is much less expensive and has a smaller environmental impact since it can operate on existing infrastructure. Professor Roy also pointed out that the appeal of a TGV that can connect Montreal and Toronto in three hours pales in comparison to the new flights to Toronto departing from Saint-Hubert Airport, on Montreal’s South Shore, which take an hour and a half.
Furthermore, experience abroad shows that the Canadian climate would pose a problem. The Swedish high-speed train, for example, cannot travel at 300 km/h, but only at 200 km/h. In China, a section of high-speed rail in the north of the country also has to reduce its speed to 200 km/h in winter.
The UPA points out that the first 200-kilometre section between Montreal and Ottawa, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2029, will affect approximately 1700 properties, including at least 500 agricultural lands, according to Alto.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
