Ottawa to be included on potential high-speed rail line

Ottawa will be a major stop along an incoming high speed rail line, which will soon be announced by the federal government.

Ottawa will be a major stop along an incoming high speed rail line, which will soon be announced by the federal government.

During the Toronto Global Forum held Oct. 16-18, Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed the government is reviewing bids for the project.

"The government of Canada is going ahead with one of three bids that we have now received for high frequency, high speed rail," the minister said.

"Those bids are under consideration now and a decision will be made about the future for this country."

The potential high speed rail line would connect Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City along a 1000-kilometre corridor, with the train reaching speeds of 300 km per hour in select spots.

Paul Langan, founder of advocacy group High Speed Rail Canada says that addition of high-speed rail in that section of the country would be a "game-changer."

"This is one way for us to catch up to other parts of the world that have been doing it for a half a century," Langan tells CTV News.