An ambitious high-speed rail plan that would get travelers from Windsor to Toronto in just two hours is gaining steam in Canada — and there's even talk about one day extending the line to Detroit.

According to the Ontario government, the province is going to spend $15 million to begin the process of building a high-speed rail line on which trains will move at speeds of up to 155 m.p.h. an hour between Windsor and Toronto. Requests for design bids are set to go out this fall.

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While the project is years away from becoming a reality, a transportation expert has recommended that Ontario work with Michigan on plans for future expansion of the rail service to the U.S. Trains would enter the country via Detroit through the existing rail tunnel that runs under the Detroit River west of downtown.

But that's potentially decades away.

For now, the goal is to get the multi-billion-dollar plan up and running in Canada by 2025. If successful, the train ride between Windsor and Toronto would get cut in half, from four hours to two.

Officials announced on Friday that they plan to spend $15 million on an environmental assessment — which is expected to take four years. Construction could start in five years, and if all goes as planned, the rail service could be running in eight years.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the high-speed rail a "game changer" that's going to deliver benefits to the 7 million people who live along the Windsor-Toronto corridor.

"High Speed rail will get them where they need to be faster," Wynne said in a statement. "Whether it means accepting a job that previously seemed too far away, visiting family more often or having ready access to the innovators who can take your business growth to the next level — high speed will make a real difference in people's lives and drive economic growth and jobs."

Friday's announcement coincided with the release of a feasibility report that was commissioned by the Ontario government in 2015.

According to the report, which was researched and written by David Collenette, Ontario's special adviser on high-speed rail, the project is expected to cost at least $20 billion. The plan is to first build a line connecting Toronto to London by 2025. The line extending to Windsor wouldn't be ready until 2031.

The report estimates that 10.6 million passengers will ride the trains by 2041 and take more than 5 million cars off southwestern Ontario’s highways.

The report recommends that the high-speed rail line include the following stations: Toronto Union Station, Pearson Airport, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Chatham and Windsor.

In addition to cutting down travel time, the high-speed rail will also help the environment. The report estimates that the rail will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 7 million tons over a 60-year time frame.

The report has proposed two scenarios for the government to consider. One involves trains traveling at 300 kilometers an hour (186 m.p.h.) at a cost of $149 million per kilometer. The other involves trains traveling at 250 kilometers an hour (155 m.p.h.) at a cost of $55 million per kilometer.

The report recommends seeking private financing, in addition to tax dollars, to help pay for the project. Ontario officials, meanwhile, are establishing a new governing body to oversee the work required to design and implement the high-speed rail.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas.