The winning bid group, called Cadence, also includes Air Canada and several affiliates of the French national railway. The planning alone is to take six years and the government has allotted $3.9 billion for this phase, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an announcement in Montreal. A contract with Cadence also has yet to be signed. (The Logic)

Talking point: The plan formerly called Via HFR is now branded “Alto.” Timelines, budgets and the exact route between Toronto and Quebec City (via Ottawa and Montreal) are all to be determined, out of concern that locking in too many details early could hinder the project. But Trudeau did say that the intent is to have trains that reach speeds of 300 km/h—running on dedicated track, rather than lines shared with freight carriers—and to carry passengers between Toronto and Montreal in three hours. Figuring out how to get the trains through already crowded downtowns will be one of the big challenges.