Emotions ran high inside the McDonnel Street Community Centre this week as residents gathered to learn more about “Alto,” the proposed 1,000-kilometre high-speed electric rail line that would connect Toronto to Quebec City at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

With an estimated cost of $90 billion, it’s being billed as a generational infrastructure project expected to serve 18 million riders annually. The federally driven plan is already drawing sharp criticism in communities like Peterborough, where portions of the proposed corridor will inevitably cut through farmland, wetlands, and private property.

“It’s generational land. It’s livelihoods of people,” said one business owner whose northern Rice Lake tourist-based operation sits squarely in the study path.

“I’m nauseous. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut,” said another.

For some, the concern is deeply personal; for others, they’re sold on convenience.

Century farms could be severed. Resorts and hunting properties may face expropriation. One homeowner who recently built a retirement house along the water said the prospect of high-speed trains racing through his backyard is devastating.

“It breaks my heart,” he said. “We were going to spend the rest of our lives enjoying nature… and now I’m going to see this monstrosity ripping by at 300 kilometres per hour.”

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Transport Minister Steve McKinnon recently confirmed in committee that once approved, land acquisition would begin “almost immediately,” raising alarm among those who fear limited recourse under federal expropriation rules.

“Almost immediately”

That’s how fast Transport Minister Steve McKinnon says private property could be seized after approval of the ALTO high-speed rail

Expropriation of pristine farmland and private hunting land, for a $90B megaproject that won’t be on time or on budget pic.twitter.com/mSWNVzr9nv

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) February 26, 2026

“Land appropriation — that’s the main thing,” another attendee said. “They’re going to talk about community relationships… and then they’re going to take your property.”

Environmental questions also loom large. Residents cited potential impacts to wetlands, waterways, wells, and wildlife habitats such as trumpeter swans frequenting the Trent River system. Others questioned how bisected roadways would affect emergency services, school bus routes, and rural infrastructure costs.

Still, not everyone is opposed.

“There’s no real downside to it,” one supporter said. “It’s a benefit to everyone.”

Another added: “If you need to move a lot of people in a short space and you don’t want cars everywhere, you have to look to an alternative.”

Proponents argue that the current passenger rail system is hampered by freight priority and chronic delays, especially as Via Rail struggles with affordability and on-time performance.

One concerned resident further questioned if a high-speed alternative would be financially sustainable without decades of subsidies.

“It’s a 47-year payback period,” one man said. “We’re leaving this to our grandkids.”

Meanwhile, look no further than other similar megaprojects, such as Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT and California’s high-speed rail, to see a cautionary tale of ballooning budgets, delays and broken promises.

As the open house wrapped, the divide remained clear: excitement over modern infrastructure on one side, and fear of a trainwreck waiting to happen on the other.