A 2023 estimate prepared by the Via Rail subsidiary added 40 years of costs to run and maintain the planned high-speed rail line to the projected construction outlays of $60 billion to $90 billion. The draft document, obtained by The Globe and Mail, also estimated that four decades of passenger fares and other revenue would offset those costs by about $105 billion. (The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: Operating costs, especially over long time horizons, have a way of blowing up the prices of major projects and procurements—see the still-officially-planned acquisition of 88 F-35 fighter jets, which might cost more than twice as much to fly (over 45 years) as to buy. The case for the new rail line between Toronto and Quebec City includes environmental benefits and economic spinoffs from easier travel among major cities; the case against it includes the effects on farms and communities it might divide.

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