The Government of Canada is in July 2023 expected to announce shortlisted firms which responded to the RFQ for the High-Frequency Rail (HFR) PPP project. 

The procuring authority is currently in the process of evaluating 4 bids for the rail project and aims to shortlist 3 potential proponents for the Design, Build, Finance, and Operate (DBFO) contract. It is anticipated that the qualified respondents will be identified during the summer, and the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase will commence in the fall of 2023. The final selection of a private partner for the contract award is expected to take place in late summer 2024. The teams that responded to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) included John Laing, Fengate, and Bechtel Capital, as well as CDPQ, SNC-Lavalin, and Atkins Global. 

The HFR project aims to establish a comprehensive rail network connecting Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City. It involves constructing over 1,000 km of mainly electrified tracks within the Quebec City-Windsor corridor.