Canada announces first high-speed rail: Toronto to Quebec City [Video]

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 …