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Consortium wins C$3.9 billion contract for rail network

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Project spans 1,000 km (620 miles) from Quebec City to

Toronto

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Travel times expected to be halved, Montreal-Toronto in 3

hours

OTTAWA, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An international consortium

including Air Canada ( ACDVF ), AtkinsRealis Group ( SNCAF ) and

France's SNCF has won a C$3.9 billion six-year

contract to help develop a high-speed passenger rail network in

eastern Canada, Ottawa said on Wednesday.

The contract covers the first stage of planning the network,

which would span approximately 1,000 km (620 miles) from Quebec

City to Toronto and allow trains to reach speeds of up to 300

kph (186 mph). The government says current travel times would be

halved, with a Montreal to Toronto trip taking three hours.

Ottawa did not say how long the network would take to build

and how much it would cost. Governments have talked for decades

about a dedicated line for passenger trains, which have to share

the track with freight trains and often suffer delays.

In a statement, the government said the Toronto-Quebec City

corridor was home to 18 million people and accounted for 40% of

national GDP.

The consortium, called Cadence, also includes the Quebec

provincial pension fund and French firms Keolis and Systra.