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OTTAWA – Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Via Rail’s proposed dedicated track in the Montreal-Toronto corridor seems to fit with what the Liberal government wants in new infrastructure projects, but cautions the government is doing its homework to determine whether to spend taxpayer dollars on the proposal.

Garneau told the Ottawa Citizen that a dedicated Via Rail track in the corridor makes sense from a passenger’s perspective, and that Bombardier — which is looking for federal financial aid — “certainly has the capability” to provide Via Rail with the engines and cars if the project were to proceed.

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Via Rail is proposing a “high-frequency” service on dedicated tracks for passenger rail in the busy Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor that would dramatically improve train speeds, frequency of trips and reduce travel times.

Earlier this week, Via Rail CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano said the Crown corporation is looking for funding in the March 22 federal budget for a new fleet of rail cars costing upwards of $1.3 billion that would go with a dedicated Toronto-to-Montreal passenger rail corridor that could be operational in fall 2019.