High-Speed Rail (HSR) - Toronto/Pearson/Kitchener/London

[kps]

59 minutes would be quite lovely, I think, and even the current GO trains would theoretically be able to reach that (though I don't know whether they can accelerate fast enough for your calculation).

I think a pair of MP40s on a 6-car train *might* be able to do it. (My reason for picking the KISS for conservative EMU estimates is that it's Caltrain's chosen replacement for their BiLevel/MPI trains.)

What kills this (and makes real HSR difficult, too) is the plethora of level crossings and slow segments through cities.

And, currently, the CN Brampton problem.

I couldn't find Canada's rules (perhaps it's never come up) but the US allows gated level crossings up to 180 km/h. And all the curves on the way are wide enough for 150 km/h (~1 km radius). That's why I look at what could be done with ‘regular‐speed’ rail on the current route — *if* there were political will to send out work crews Monday morning, rather than make pie‐in‐the‐sky promises, would the results get people out of their cars?