Canadas high-speed rail plan gets multi-billion-dollar boost [Video]

Canada’s plan for high-speed rail are picking up steam with a multi-billion-dollar funding boost.

The federal government announced the new funding and that a consortium has been chosen to develop the planned link between Toronto and Quebec City on Wednesday.

The project, dubbed “Alto,” would see fully electric trains transport passengers along the highly trafficked rail corridor at speeds of 300 kilometres per hour along 1,000 kilometres of track.

“A reliable, efficient high-speed rail network will be a game changer for Canadians, slashing travel times by half, getting you from Toronto to Montreal in three hours,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Montreal.

Trudeau said the train would make stops in Laval, Trois-Rivières, Montréal, Ottawa and Peterborough.

According to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office, Cadence is a consortium of “world-renowned companies” that have expertise in design, development and operation of large-scale transportation infrastructure.

As part of the announcement, Transport Minister Anita Anand said the federal government will be …