Council calls for high-speed rail stop in Kingston, Ont.

Alto, also known as the Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network in a rendering (image: Alto)

Kingston should be a stop for the proposed new high-speed rail line between Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal and Quebec City, according to elected officials.

City council in Kingston voted 9 to 2 Tuesday night to support a motion from Mayor Bryan Paterson to call on the federal government to “enhance Alto’s mandate to include the addition of a Kingston stop.”

The motion said council supports a southern route that is developed along the Highway 401 corridor around South Frontenac and the Kingston region, “provided there is a new stop added that is in Kingston.”

Alto, the Crown corporation tasked with developing the high-speed rail line, is looking at two proposed routes through Ontario between Toronto and Ottawa, with a stop in Peterborough. The southern route proposal passes near Kingston.

The motion noted a stop in Kingston would “contribute to Alto’s mandate of supporting strong ridership demand.” It added that if there were no station in Kingston, Council “formally opposes the creation of the Alto Southern Route that would effectively bypass Kingston.”

“One of the most important success factors for our community is strong transportation links that can get people to and from Kingston,” Paterson said.

Paterson said, “There needs to be a stop in Kingston.”

“It’s not just for Kingston; it’s for the several hundred thousand people that live on the existing 401 corridor in eastern Ontario,” Paterson said.

Paterson added the proposed southern route for Alto is still “too far north” of Kingston.

“That southern route be pushed further towards us and, I think, that as close to the 401 corridor as possible makes the most sense,” Paterson said, adding he supports a possible route along Highway 401 and 416.

Coun. Jeff McLaren said while he supported 90 per cent of the motion, he couldn’t vote in favour of the plan.

“There is this huge, big gaping hole here that does allow a huge train to go right through the entire North Frontenac and still hit all the things that we have done there,” McLaren said.

“We’ve left that hole in this, and it can be walked through very easily.”

The Alto website says the southern corridor option through eastern Ontario is “agricultural and resort areas with higher population density. This approach simplifies construction and operations.”

According to Alto’s website, the high-speed rail network will run at speeds of 300 km/h or more connecting Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal and Quebec City, with seven proposed stops.

The first segment would be built between Ottawa and Montreal.

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