Wynne makes high speed rail announcement at Google in Kitchener
Posted May 19, 2017 06:13:43 AM.
Last Updated May 19, 2017 06:47:48 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced Friday the future of high speed rail has taken a step forward.
Wynne stopped in London first, where she announced the province will be moving ahead with design work on the project and investing funding for a $15-million environmental assessment.
Ontario will establish a new governing body to oversee the ambitious work required to design and implement high speed rail, and the Premier says Ontario will be the first province to take on a rail transformation of this scale.
Wynne also stopped at Google Canada headquarters in downtown Kitchener, to highlight how the line will effect Kitchener and Guelph.
Wynne said high speed rail could cut commute times between Kitchener and downtown Toronto to 48 minutes, and would mean big things for our local tech and innovation sector.
Phase 1 of the train could be up and running in 2025. It would go from Union Station in downtown Toronto, through Guelph, Kitchener, and out to London. Phase 2 would be from London to Chatham to Windsor, set for 2031.
The high speed rail line was promised by the Ontario Liberals in the lead up to the 2014 election and the plan calls for a 300 Kilometer rail line equipped with trains that can travel as fast as 250 Km/h.
