Owner’s Engineer for Canada’s transformational Alto high-speed rail network

Alto is an intercity link with major stops planned for Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Québec City. The proposed 1,000km network of new electrified railway lines will expand access to transit and drive economic growth for the entire region. 

Arup is serving as the owner’s engineer, partnering with AECOM to provide technical advice for the concept development and technical requirements for procurement and co-development of the network.

The firm draws on extensive global expertise in delivering complex rail megaprojects as well as deep and practical local knowledge of the Canadian market to provide critical technical oversight for Alto. As an independent party, Arup’s role is to be a trusted partner in technical excellence, safeguard public interest and guide the successful delivery of this transformational infrastructure project for the benefit of the entire nation. 

Alto is one of the largest infrastructure projects to be undertaken in Canada’s history. This nation-building project will generate significant benefits for all Canadians. It will spur economic growth, create jobs, improve regional connectivity and access to transit, and contribute to the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Shaping the project from the start 

Arup has served in the role of owner’s engineer since 2020 in partnership with AECOM. During the early phases of the project, Arup brought together global rail experience and local knowledge to advise on technical components of the procurement approaches and define the role of the private project development partner that will deliver Alto.  

To start, Arup outlined the initial concept for the rail alignment, evaluating potential impact to nearby communities, Indigenous groups, and the environment. We engaged in engineering de-risking activities across several disciplines, including rail systems, systems engineering, project management, and capital cost and financial analysis, as well as environmental assessments and related field activities. The concept devised by Arup has allowed Alto to formulate cost and schedule estimates. Our early work has solidified the project’s business case and allowed it to gain the necessary approvals to move forward. 

Alto has brought on a private delivery partner to co-develop the design and see it through delivery, where Arup continues to support Alto in requirements compliance reviews, technical challenge and considerations identification to ensure benefits are delivered, and value engineering. With Arup’s advice and support, the progressive procurement model is positioned to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the process, supporting the project’s long-term sustainable outcomes. By looking at factors beyond cost — like social and environmental impacts, innovation, and local economic development — the procurement of Alto is positioning the project to positively benefit local communities and the environment. 

Integrating digital tools 

Large-scale infrastructure projects involve vast quantities of data and disparate systems that must be coordinated for project delivery. Recognizing the complexity, Arup developed a comprehensive digital strategy to guide the project. Our recommended data strategy is providing enhanced coordination across multiple stakeholders, keeping the project on schedule, and preventing issues before they arise. By integrating digital tools at an early stage, Arup is setting Alto up for success. 

Arup’s digital team continues to provide strategic guidance on the digital vision for Alto, including GIS technology, data investments, software licensing, workflows, and system integration to align technology with the project’s priorities and enable data-driven decision-making. Arup has also developed governance frameworks for data quality, integrity, and security. We are providing cybersecurity consulting to ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices to safeguard the project’s information. 

To support design and delivery, Arup introduced our in-house digital tool, Fuse. Fuse provides real-time dashboards that bring together data from various sources into one centralized platform. The tool enables coordination, collaboration, and control of project data and is customizable to present information across teams. This solution is bringing efficiency and enhanced coordination for project partners.