OTTAWA — Transport Canada is defining the process to “qualify and identify” no more than three private firms to participate in the Request For Proposals to develop the Quebec City-Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto “High Frequency Rail” passenger corridor, the agency announced Friday, Feb. 17.
The announcement the agency is working to define the Request For Qualifications protocols as a prelude to the RFP phase came nearly a year after Transport Canada assumed control of what had initially been a VIA Rail Canada project [see “Transport Canada inches forward …,” Trains News Wire, March 10, 2022].
The process began with the “Expressions of Interest” phase in March 2022 elicited that more than 50 responses. Friday’s announcement of the launch of the Request for Qualifications, from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Pablo Rodriguez, minister of Canadian heritage and Quebec lieutenant, says those requests will be evaluated in April through July, with the RFP Process beginning in August or September.
Aspects to be addressed in developing the Request For Qualifications include:
— Project outcomes the private developer partner will be expected to meet or exceed, such as shorter journey times, more frequent departures, and more reliable service.
— Electrification or construction of segments capable of speeds greater than 125 mph “if it is cost effective to do so.”
— How proposals will be evaluated, the procurement process, and how much funding the government will provide to applicants.
— How the HFR subsidiary, Canadian government, VIA, and the private developer will work together.
According to the release, Request For Qualifications respondents will be “required to demonstrate a capacity for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples by developing the project to create mutually beneficial, socioeconomic development opportunities.” Outreach with other affected residents will need to be conducted.
Although Transport Canada is looking to “leveraging the knowledge and expertise of international private sector companies that have experience developing large-scale infrastructure projects,” it expects Canadian companies, expertise, and labor to be utilized “throughout all phases of the project, including construction and operations.”
‘Electrification or construction of segments capable of speeds greater than 125 mph “if it is cost effective to do so.”’
Just electrify out of the box. Why do we always have to do stuff like this in half-steps?