Public Release of Alto's Responses to CLWA Questions

On July 17, Mayor O'Neill and CAO John Connolly met with representatives of Alto to discuss Alto's proposed high-speed rail project. During that meeting, Mayor O'Neill presented Alto with a list of questions as requested by the Crowe Lake Waterway Association (CLWA).

As noted in her report to Council at the August 4 meeting, Mayor O'Neill committed to providing Alto's responses to those questions available to the public. In keeping with that commitment, the information below has been provided by Alto in response to the questions submitted by CLWA.

The Municipality's role is limited to sharing this information on Alto's behalf.

Rail corridor timeline:

We will release the preferred alignment for the rail corridor starting with central segment (Ottawa to Montreal) in November 2026 with the rest of the project’s preferred alignment to be released in early 2027. This preferred alignment will range up to about 1 km wide at its widest, potentially down to as narrow as the 60m right-of-way in some places. It will include more information on station locations. It is anticipated that there will only be one corridor option between Peterborough and Ottawa.

Crossings:

Alto is designing the network with the people and communities who live nearby in mind. Preserving local mobility and ensuring safe, reliable connections across the future high-speed rail network are key considerations shaping how it is planned and developed, so that everyday travel, services and community life can continue smoothly alongside the future infrastructure.

In order to meet the highest safety standards, high-speed rail must operate on fenced tracks with no level crossings. That’s why we will build grade-separated crossings, such as overpasses and underpasses, to allow people, vehicles, animals, and equipment to safely move across the tracks.

Alto has committed to building crossings that support agricultural activities and ensure emergency response times and routes remain compliant with applicable safety and operational standards. Decisions around crossings and local road closures will be made with input from local municipalities and key transportation stakeholders.

Here is a link to our page referencing preservation of access and movement: Preserving Access and Movement | Alto

Property acquisitions:

Right now, Alto is only acquiring properties that are available publicly for sale. We do not yet have a timeline when we will be approaching property owners to negotiate purchases. It is anticipated that it will begin in central segment. We will provide impacted local municipalities with more information prior to approaching property owners.

Our commitment is to engage with owners directly, respectfully, and at every stage, and to work toward fair outcomes that reflect the full impact over time on the property and its specific circumstances. Each property will be assessed based on its individual situation, including the needs of owners, and, where applicable, tenants and agricultural operations. Here is a link to our page on property acquisition: Property Acquisition | Alto

Field studies:

Field study work has begun on central segment, but not yet west of Ottawa. We will update you prior to field study work in your area. Here is a link to our field study page: Field Studies | Alto

Questions have arisen about Alto using drones for field study work. We have not yet used drones for field studies in Ontario. We will share locations on our drone page and provide an update to impacted municipalities when we begin work in additional areas: Alto conducts drone surveys in several communities | Alto.

For more information:

Joel Wiebe
Senior Advisor, Community Relations – Ontario
joel.wiebe@altotrain.ca