In addition to providing strategic advice on major business issues associated with the project, the board will engage with the private sector, stakeholders and indigenous communities. Team members will be expected to bring a breadth and depth of expertise to the project, including in the high-tech and innovation sectors; engineering, environmental sciences and transport planning; and the financing and delivery of infrastructure projects. Members will include the best and brightest in these fields from across Ontario and Canada.

The line will have intermediate stations at Pearson, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London and Chatham. Trains will travel at up to 250km/h on a combination of existing track and new dedicated lines. The Toronto - Windsor journey time would be cut in half to around 2 hours.

“High-speed rail will dramatically change what's possible for people in Southwestern Ontario,” says Ontario’s premier Ms Kathleen Wynne. “Canada's first high-speed rail service will also help companies along the Toronto - Windsor corridor to continue to attract top talent and take their businesses to the next level.”

The corridor was selected because it is a hub for leading start-up companies, research institutions and the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, and the region is growing faster than its current transport network can accommodate. “High-speed rail will have a transformative impact on travel in Southwestern Ontario,” says Ontario’s minister of transportation Mr Steven Del Duca.