After 9 Monday March 30th 2026

April 13, 2026·56 min·2 clips

Peter says CN Rail was a "squeezed lemon" and warns the BC Rail lease repeats that mistake.

1. CFISFM's "After 9" on March 30, 2026 centers on Alto high-speed rail and BC Rail, with Eric Allen steering a panel of four voices through a long rail-policy debate. 2. Eric Allen hosts Mernie First, Peter Ewert, Herb Martin, and Todd Whitcomb, and Peter matters most here because he gives the detailed Alto breakdown and later revisits BC Rail. 3. The episode's hook is whether Alto's "public-private partnership" and CN Rail's BC Rail lease serve public transit needs or corporate interests. 4. Peter describes Alto as a planned Quebec City-to-Toronto network with five stops, 1,000 kilometers of track, and top speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour. 5. He says the project could start in 2029 or 2030, open first between Ottawa and Montreal, and finish in 2043, with estimates ranging from $60 billion to $120 billion. 6. The panel repeats that current Toronto-Montreal travel already takes about 4 hours 37 minutes by train and often over five hours, while Herb cites a 500-kilometer route and a $100 fare. 7. Todd argues that the Toronto-Montreal market is already heavily used, and Eric and others note that flights also involve Pearson, Dorval, and additional ground travel. 8. Peter says opponents fear Alto will shift profits to Cadence and leave government to subsidize losses, while Via Rail may lose revenue that currently helps pay for service in British Columbia. 9. Herb later turns to BC Rail, saying CN wants to shut lines between 100 Mile House and Squamish and now possibly Quesnel and Prince George, which would hurt freight, tourism, and emergency access. 10. People interested in Canadian rail policy, BC transportation, and public infrastructure debates.

As heard by us

A loose panel conversation turns high-speed rail into a grounded debate about spending, access, work, and local industry.

After 9 frames high-speed rail as a public-spending question, then lets the panel test what that promise would mean in daily life. Peter Ewert brings in Alto, the planned privately operated line linking Quebec City and Toronto, while the conversation moves through Windsor,…

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Why you'd press play

You get Alto, remote work, and one slightly unruly radio control room.

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