I'm excited for #ViaAlto #AltoHSR and wish them much success. But oh my goodness this in their latest newsletter is so silly:

"Alto," which to be clear does not yet exist in any way outside of PDFs and one large bank account, "Awarded Best Transportation Project"

"Alto, in collaboration with Transport Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Cadence, received the Best Transportation Project Award at the 2025 P3 Awards. This recognition reflects the ambition and expertise driving our work to modernize mobility and deliver a high-speed rail project that meets the needs of future generations."

"Canada Shouldn’t Build High-Speed Rail" - an interesting discussion of #ViaAlto #HSR mistakes so far:

⚙ wrong structure ("a murderer’s row of external partners, rather than well-staffed in-house agency")

🤼 wrong people ("almost no transport experience... none in passenger rail")

▶ wrong process ("extensive consultation & negotiation... project will become mired in procedural gridlock")

⌚ wrong timing (jumping from car to HSR, without building up rail network first)

https://open.substack.com/pub/changinglanesnewsletter/p/canada-shouldnt-build-high-speed?r=bqtf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email