How Alto could contribute to the future growth and resilience of both passenger and freight rail

Nearly half of Canada's population and a significant share of its economic activity are concentrated in the Toronto–Québec City corridor. The efficient movement of both people and goods through this corridor is essential to Canada's economy, supporting trade, supply chains, labour mobility, and connectivity between major economic centres.

Today, passenger and freight trains share much of the same rail infrastructure, creating increasing pressure on a network that is already heavily used.

How could freight and passenger rail operations benefit from a passenger-dedicated high-speed rail network? That question is explored in Potential Freight Benefits of Alto, a report prepared by CPCS, a leading independent infrastructure and management consulting firm, on behalf of Alto. The report examines how a dedicated high-speed passenger rail network could affect freight operations, capacity, and system performance in the corridor. 

Understanding the challenges of a shared rail network

While freight and passenger trains operate on the same tracks, they have different operating needs, schedules, speeds, and performance requirements.

The report examines factors such as train frequency, scheduling, speed, and on-time performance to better understand the opportunities and challenges of today's shared rail system. It outlines how competing demands on the network creates operational constraints for both freight and passenger services. 

Key findings: creating room for future freight growth

Freight rail plays a critical role in connecting Canadian industries to domestic and international markets, supporting supply chains and economic growth. Freight moving through the Toronto–Montréal corridor carries goods worth approximately 2.8% of Canada's annual GDP.

The report suggests that freight demand in the corridor could grow by approximately 55% over the next 30 years. As demand increases, accommodating both additional freight traffic and passenger services on shared infrastructure may become increasingly challenging.

By shifting passenger traffic onto a dedicated rail network, Alto could help reduce pressure on existing shared corridors, freeing up capacity for future freight growth, improving overall network performance, strengthening system resilience, and helping defer the need for additional freight infrastructure investments. 

Supporting a stronger rail system

The report concludes that Alto has the potential to generate both economic and strategic benefits beyond passenger transportation. By creating additional space on existing freight corridors, Alto could help support growing freight demand while contributing to a more resilient and efficient rail network.

As Canada's trade and transportation needs continue to evolve, a dedicated high-speed passenger rail system could play an important role in supporting the long-term growth of both passenger and freight rail services.