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MONTREAL \u2014 The Crown corporation overseeing a planned high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City says tunnels will be needed in Montreal and possibly Toronto.<\/p>\n
In an update on its website, Alto says it plans to burrow from just north of the Prairies River, which borders Montreal\u2019s north side, to downtown in a corridor that would exceed 10 kilometres.<\/p>\n
It also says it is considering tunnels and elevated tracks to access Toronto\u2019s downtown, terminating at either Union Station or a nearby location.<\/p>\n
Rail tunnel construction has proven a pricey undertaking in recent years, ballooning the budgets of Toronto\u2019s Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line and Ontario Line subway plans as well as Ottawa\u2019s Trillium Line.<\/p>\n
In the update, Alto further reveals it is weighing two possible corridors between Peterborough, Ont., and Ottawa. One is a more direct line between the two cities and the other curves south, closer to Lake Ontario.<\/p>\n
Construction of the first phase of the 1,000-kilometre corridor is set to kick off in 2029 or 2030, linking Montreal and Ottawa in an effective test case for an infrastructure project estimated at $60 billion to $90 billion.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n