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In 2022, Canada invited bids for a D/B/O contract for high speed rail between Québec, Québec & Toronto, Ontario. The LT&L, the Canadian Pacific, ILW, and Alstom set up a consortium (Vitesse) to bid on the contract, won the bid, and, in the spring of 2025, started preliminary work on the project (formerly VIA HFR, now Alto.).

Part of the Vitesse bid, and arguably the thing that won it, was to push the western terminal out to London, Ontario, taking advantage of the OSW and Canadian Pacific’s ongoing electrification of their lines between Guelph Junction & Ingersoll (Vitesse still proposed separated ROW for the HSR, but being able to share their power distribution network with the freight electrification had gratifying savings, so the arguably poor return on the extension became an acceptable cost of operation.)

The planned route is, more or less, along the Canadian Pacific (and abandoned CP ROW) from London to Ottawa, then LT&L & TdM from Ottawa to Québec. Some of the route uses existing CP, LT&L, and TdM trackage, but the vast majority of the line is new construction adjacent to the existing lines (the planned operating speed is 300kph, which does not play well with 100-125kph freight traffic.)

As of 2025, planning is underway for most of the line, with the exception of the LT&L’s north shore line between Montréal & Québec, where construction has begun on adding another pair of tracks to the existing formations.

The planned trainsets will use ILW eco-p motors & rolling stock from Alstom’s TGV family.