High-speed rail construction could begin in four years, LeBlanc says

MONTREAL - The federal government wants construction on a planned high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City to begin within four years.

On Thursday, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government's new major projects office will work to speed up engineering and regulatory work on the Alto high-speed rail line.

"This is a very exciting project in a very densely populated area," he told reporters at a press conference in Montreal.

LeBlanc made the comments at the Port of Montreal, where a planned expansion is among the first five projects under consideration for fast-track approval through the federal government's major projects office.

Alto was not among the five projects unveiled Thursday, but the government has listed it with others identified for future dev