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

[ookpik]

I question the value of spending a large amount close to the HSR cost yet end up with only a 160km/hr train. If we are going to expropriate land and lay down track we might as well go all the way.

I do too which is one reason why I'd like to see cost numbers. 

If the incremental cost of laying HSR-compatible tracks and running HSR rolling stock is small then by all means. However compared to what we have now, which is laughable and embarrassing, regular, frequent, fast rail connections between here and Toronto is essential even if "fast" isn't necessarily HSR. I'll gladly sacrifice some speed for more frequency and reliability if that tradeoff makes economic sense.

One more thing. The province talks about a London to Toronto HSR. What's the demand for rail service between those two cities? I ask because London generally isn't iincluded in any vision of a Silicon Valley-like technical corridor in southern Ontario. Likewise Western, unlike UW, isn't particularly well-known for technology programs. So before we double the length of the rail run (and presumably almost double the cost) we should establish the need. Has that been done? Perhaps a project of this scale should start with KW to Toronto service with plans to extend it to London and then further afield.