加拿大90亿美元高铁项目或将重塑多伦多至魁北克城房地产市场

Alto and its partner Cadence — the corporations behind Canada’s first proposed high-speed rail network — announced in late March that they would be moving forward with the next phase of the project’s environmental study, including requesting access to private properties to determine the best pathway for track laying. The $60-$90 billion project, which was first announced last February, will span roughly 1,000 km between Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City. Travelling at speeds of 300 km/h or more, the electric rail network will reduce the travel time between Toronto and Montreal to just three hours. This enhanced mobility is expected to result in economic growth, increased housing construction and reduced congestion and pollution within the Toronto–Québec City corridor. Alto estimates the project will generate an annual GDP uplift of 1.1% — or $24.5 billion, boost tourism by $800 million per year, and create 50,000 jobs during construction. On the housing and development front, Alto says the construction of high-speed rail stations will attract real estate investment centred around transit-oriented growth, resulting in more than 60,000 new housing units, which will contribute to property taxes in the cities and towns along the rail path. Needless to say, it’s a huge deal. Which is why the Mayor of Kingston, Bryan Paterson, is so keen for Alto to include his city on the high-speed rail route, which it currently is not. “Historically, development follows along transportation corridors,” Paterson tells STOREYS. “There's a reason why most of the communities in eastern Ontario run along Highway 401. It's ease of access.” Not only would residents benefit from having increased access to other communities and regions for employment, business, or travel, but businesses and investors benefit as well, says Paterson. “Any time I talk with a business that's interested in locating to or investing in Kingston, access is one of the first…