The federal government’s announcement of a high-speed rail corridor connecting Toronto to Quebec City has sparked frustration and disappointment among Windsorites – with Southwestern Ontario left out of the plan.
Windsor city councillor Renaldo Agostino said he was shocked by the omission.
“I was disappointed to see it and curious to see that Windsor was not included on the list,” he said.
“So, it really got me upset.”
The high-speed rail plan, which will span approximately 1,000 kilometers and operate with fully electric trains travelling at speeds of 300 km/h, was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday.
While the project is expected to significantly reduce travel times between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, the initial phase does not reach Windsor.
Agostino pointed out that previous discussions about high-speed rail in Canada always included Windsor as part of the corridor, often as a connection to the U.S.
“It was always a corridor really connecting either Chicago or Minneapolis and coming all the way up through Detroit and Windsor and heading to Quebec,” he said.
“And then when I saw it announced that it was to Toronto, Quebec, I was taken aback because it’s leaving out a big chunk of the community that certainly would thrive and benefit from having high-speed rail.”
Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk, speaking with AM800’s Mornings with Mike and Meg, stressed that the region had not been forgotten about.
“It was always envisioned as a two-stage process,” said Kusmierczyk.
“First stage being Toronto to Quebec, second stage being Windsor to Toronto. I 100 per cent believe that we will have high-speed rail connecting Windsor to Toronto as well.”
He acknowledged, however, that the complexity of the project has contributed to its slow development.
“Just that first stage, Toronto to Quebec, you’re looking at 1,000 kilometres of rail, which we do not own,” Kusmierczyk said.
“That’s been the biggest hurdle — it’s owned by the freight carriers like CN and CP. We’ve always had to share the rail with those guys.”
Agostino remains skeptical, calling for a clear plan to ensure Windsor’s inclusion in future phases.
“If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to do it right,” he said.
“You’ve got to plan for the future and do it right the first time, rather than piecemeal things together.”
He added that the need for high-speed rail in Windsor is evident, with many residents regularly traveling to Toronto and spending hours in traffic.
“It’s so important to this community and to our country now more than ever to be connected in a quick and efficient way,” Agostino said.
To push for Windsor’s inclusion, Agostino said city council will likely take action in the coming days.
“I think we’re going to probably bring something up on Monday to write a letter, even though sometimes writing these letters is like writing a letter to Santa Claus.”
For now, Windsor waits.
With even this first phase of high-speed rail not expected to see movement until the 2030s.
It will be up to future governments to continue with the plan, and voters, Agostino said, to hold them to it.
