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Anti-ALTO groups are organizing more protests in Eastern Ontario, Quebec
▲ 89 r/AltoHSR_Canada

Anti-ALTO groups are organizing more protests in Eastern Ontario, Quebec

The groups behind the June 11th Alto capital hill protests are organizing two upcoming protests. One on August 28th between Belleville and Brockville, and anther one in Rigaud Quebec on September 19th.

I remember seeing the Capital Hill one and thought, had I known about it I'd have been out there supporting HSR instead. So I thought I'd let you all know about these!

There is of course the GO ALTO group which is organizing around supporting Alto and HSR. https://go-alto.ca/

I am messaging with the organizers to make some signs in support of HSR. The anti alto signs are simple, just a red x or line through ALTO, which is easily recognized. The GO ALTO organizer suggested simplified signs with something recognizable of our own. I was thinking something stupidly simple like GO ALTO or GO HSR

If you know of any resources or groups promising to promote Alto or high-speed rail in Canada, or ideas for the signs, let me know!

u/imacguyver — 5 days ago
▲ 3 r/AltoHSR_Canada

A Bloc Québécois MP is publicly contradicting the management lessons of his provincial PQ allies

I recently came across a post from Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Denis Garon where he takes a firm stance against a consultant who is notably associated with the methodology presented in the book How Big Things Get Done (by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner).

It is striking to see this pushback, considering that the Bloc’s counterparts in the Parti Québécois (PQ) have explicitly cited this exact book, at least twice, as a foundational reference for how major public infrastructure projects SHOULD be managed in Quebec.

During the parliamentary commission on Bill 61 (Loi édictant la Loi sur Mobilité Infra Québec), PQ MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, repeatedly utilized the book’s principles to critique government planning and argue for better management. Here are the documented instances from the Journal des débats:

September 11, 2024: During the Commission des transports et de l'environnement, M. Arseneau referenced the book's core lesson:« [...] "How big things get done" et une des leçons de ce livre-là, c'est : Il faut très bien faire la planification, il faut prendre son temps pour la planification et il faut aller vite pour la réalisation. »

October 3, 2024: M. Arseneau again cited the book to emphasize the need for a rigorous approach to infrastructure:« [...] How Big Things Get Done, ce projet... ce livre-là, donc, qui dit : Pensez longtemps, puis agissez rapidement. Donc, mettre de l'ordre là-dedans. »

It is difficult to reconcile the Parti Québécois’ public reliance on the expertise and methodology found in How Big Things Get Done with M. Garon’s dismissive stance toward a key figure associated with that same body of work. For a party that prides itself on internal coherence and rigorous analysis of public spending, this contradiction is, at the very least, confusing for those of us trying to understand the Bloc’s actual stance on infrastructure planning.

Are they supporting these planning methods or rejecting them? They seem to be doing both.

reddit.com
u/Inter_Mission_2024 — 5 days ago
▲ 99 r/AltoHSR_Canada

Toronto’s Ontario Line now costs $2B per kilometre. Why is building transit here so expensive?

From Gare Centrale area to Laval, an HSR tunnel could be 15km. So that could be $30 billion of the $90 billion rough estimate, for the whole project including trainsets. (Article may be paywalled)

No wonder the HS2 in London will end in suburbs for now, due to the huge cost of getting closer to the other north-end train stations.

thestar.com
u/Rail613 — 7 days ago
▲ 0 r/AltoHSR_Canada

Hopefully history wont repeat itself....

ALTO claims that the entire Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City high speed rail project will cost $90 billion. Sounds like they purposely came up with the number to keep it below $100 billion to make it more presentable. As much as we need high speed rail in Canada, we also need some assurance that it will be properly managed.

The California High Speed Rail project is an example of how badly things can turn out. The project was approved in 2008 with a budget of $36 billion and a completion date of 2020. In 2026 the cost has nearly quadrupled and continues to rise and the new completion date is 2030. And in 2026 no track has even been laid....

u/AxeloftheMountrain — 8 days ago
▲ 53 r/AltoHSR_Canada

CBC Front Burner Episode

Anyone else really bothered by the Front Burner coverage today? They kept on talking about the project as if the benefits had not yet been studied.

Multiple times they stated that its unresolved whether the project makes sense for demand on the corridor. One of the reporters even stated that vehicle electrification could be a mitigating factor in this project making economic sense.

I was kind of shocked at how uninformed the coverage felt. Did they even read any of the information in the numerous studies that had already been produced… since the 70s. Studies they even referenced existing earlier in the segment 😒

cbc.ca
u/lostuserfoundcock — 9 days ago
▲ 29 r/AltoHSR_Canada

The PQ remains a heavy favorite to form the next Québec government, how would the project get past that?

I struggle to see how the project moves past such an outcome of the October Québec election, I am curious to see what others have in mind.

thewalrus.ca
u/00ashk — 10 days ago
▲ 130 r/AltoHSR_Canada+1 crossposts

Max. track speeds Toronto vs. Paris / Europe

What do you think about the state of the railway in Canada?
As you can see there is a lot of High Speed Rail in Europe (orange and red lines) Toronto never exceeds 150 km/h (blue to green lines), however around Paris the speed get's up to 320 km/h! Same for many parts of western Europe.

u/Puzzleheaded-Gas2972 — 14 days ago