4 ms·
The Toronto/Montreal highspeed route once was desperately needed but as the years go by and other options that are available made this less attractive. The cos
by wolco 6y ago
The Toronto/Montreal highspeed route once was desperately needed but as the years go by and other options that are available made this less attractive. The cost doesn't match the benefits. Trains exist now (some would say at too high a price point and they would take a greyhound) and they are much faster than driving. If speed is needed flying makes more sense. That leaves a small group who want to go slightly faster and are willing to pay more but not as much as an airplane ticket.
- 908B64B197 6y agoWith the same distance, Montreal could get a high speed train to New York City. To me that would be a no brainer.
- jcranmer 6y agoAny link that crosses an international border tends to result in much lower ridership than a link within borders. NYC-Toronto is the strongest US-Canada link, as it connects two cities that occupy similar positions in their countries. Montreal-NYC suffers from the lack of any major population centers between Montreal and Albany. The real problem with international borders is often related to customs checks, and Amtrak would rather prefer putting the customs checks in Toronto (/Montreal) and sealing the train through Canada to the US border. If the US and Canada were to enter in a customs union, that issue would go away, but I don't see that happening for decades. (There's another interesting route, which is Chicago-Toronto; this is viable in a no-customs-hassle world because Chicago-Detroit is viable HSR by itself, ditto for Windsor-Toronto, so the only extra piece you need is Detroit-Windsor under the Detroit River).
- 908B64B197 6y agoYeah, customs would have to be sealed in Montreal, just like the US pre-clearance at the airport. Sure, it being an international link adds hassle, but it would create a stronger connection to a Global Hub instead of a regional one.