So you want to know about ... High-speed rail and provincial/national rail transit in Canada
Have you ever taken the train to go home for reading week?
If so, you've probably been stuck between stations on at least one occasion. As your train sits there idle, waiting for whoever is preventing the train from moving, you wonder, "who is responsible for this?"
That question is the exact premise of this article.
In this piece, I'll discuss who is responsible for transit in Canada as a policy issue, which corporations manage Canadian rail networks, and what kinds of projects Canadians can expect in the short, medium, and long-term.
Who is responsible for transit in Canada?
Transit is a provincial responsibility, though there are avenues where the federal government has some influence.
The federal government, via Transport Canada, oversees interprovincial transit and national rail networks. Ottawa also provides funding for transit projects as needed while setting any relevant guidelines.
Who are some of the big players?
VIA Rail, Canada's national train service, is a federal Crown corporation that reports to Transport Canada.
CN (Canadian National Railway) used to fall under federal jurisdiction, though the corporation was privatized. That said, CN still owns much of the railway network in Canada, with its trains getting priority on all such tracks. It is worth noting that CBC found that CN ownership and speed limits played a role in just 33% of VIA Rail trains being on time during the third quarter of 2025, which has angered VIA (and at least partially forced them to pay out north of $30 million in travel vouchers for late arrivals) and pushed local officials to try and get improved passenger rail traffic back on the policymaking agenda.
Metrolinx is a provincial Crown agency responsible for public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The corporation also manages GO Transit, Toronto's regional transit system, and the UP Express, which links Toronto's Union Station with Pearson International Airport.
Exo is the Quebec equivalent of GO Transit for the City of Montreal and the surrounding areas.
What about high-speed rail?
Currently, Canada does not have a designated high-speed rail service, but there are plans to create such a rail line between Toronto and Quebec City.
The project, known as Alto (also a Crown corporation), was originally announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February 2025. It was then announced that construction would begin by the start of the 2030's and that the entire line would be set to be completed within 15 years. The initial list of stops included Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City, though significant pressure and consultation has pushed the government to consider adding Kingston to the Alto network.
Any other projects of note?
Out in Alberta, the provincial government is looking at creating an Alberta-wide rail network. For the moment, the province is looking at two routes; one of them would connect Calgary and Edmonton, while another would connect Calgary to Banff.
The priority, however, is creating rail connections between the downtown core and airport for both Calgary and Edmonton, which CBC reports would serve as extensions to their respective LRT networks.
Alberta's government is set to spend $15 million to conduct a three-year-long planning process for the rail network. The government also assessed that the Calgary-Edmonton and Calgary-Banff routes would take up to 30 years to complete.
More imminently, Ontario's provincial government is ramping up preparations to re-launch the Northlander rail network by the end of the year. Operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency responsible for providing transportation networks for northern Ontario, the rail network's return would represent the first time since 2014 that rail connects northern Ontario to downtown Toronto.
The new network will run through Toronto and Vaughan before stopping in cottage country via the Muskoka region (Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville). Then, the rail network will run through the city of North Bay - located just east of Sudbury and the VIA Rail network - before diverting north towards the two northern terminus' of Timmins and Cochrane.
It is projected that Northland rail service will return later this year, with testing on the network well underway.
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