To the Editor,

Whereas we were impressed with the TGV (train grande vitesse) while in France recently, the country, with nearly 70 million residents, is half the size of Ontario.  There was a good passenger railway network across France before the TGV. There is a bus service and excellent inter-city public transportation. They complement the TGV which now stops at 230 stations across France and in neighbouring countries like Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium. All regions of France have access to TGV.

It is not easy to drive and find parking in European cities. Many, especially tourists, prefer taking public transportation for holidays across Europe. Also, some families who cannot afford to buy homes in big cities, buy cheaper rural homes across France and commute. We were told about a family that works in Paris despite living 330 kilometres away. Their commute is 1.5 hours each way. There is wifi on the train. Tickets for frequent users are much cheaper. A win for rural France, not for us under the Alto proposal.  

Comparing fares from Nice to Paris for our trip, 940 kilometres away, the 1.5 hours flight was cheaper than the TGV ticket and the TGV takes almost six hours, using a combination of high-speed rail and regular rail, with an average speed around 150 kilometres per hour.

The TGV and the regular passenger trains are side by side in train stations. In France alone, there are 2,800 kilometres of tracks built for high-speed travel and thousands of kilometres of standard national rail lines to reach cities without dedicated high-speed tracks.

A recent VIA announcement to build new passenger railway cars in Canada is good news!  Is there a business plan that goes beyond buying new cars?  

A business risk assessment for Alto should look at realistic, optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. The business plans should be reviewed by independent experts, to ensure that they are realistic and solid.

New cost estimates are now up to $113 billion, where will it end, $200 billion, more?  Is the estimate of 25,000,000 users a year by 2055 too optimistic?  What if there will only be 20,000,000 or 15,000,000 users a year?

Taxpayers have so many questions and concerns, few answers.

Jean-Denis Methot

St-Bernardin