Province spending $139.5M to buy three trainsets for Ontario Northland
The Ontario government is buying three new trainsets as part of its plan to bring back northeastern passenger rail service.
The $139.5 million purchase is the next step in the province’s plan to reinstate rail service between Timmins and Toronto.
“This is a significant step forward in bringing back the rail service that northerners deserve,” Stan Cho, associate minister of transportation, said in a news release Thursday.
“The reinstated Northlander train will support our northern industries and resource sectors and provide a safe and reliable transportation option for northern communities, especially in the winter months. This purchase demonstrates real progress, as we continue to take concrete steps to build a better transportation network for the north.”
The new rail cars will be built by Siemens Mobility Ltd. and will meet the latest EPA Tier 4 emission standards, making them one of the most environmentally friendly diesel locomotives on the market.
The fully accessible fleet will include built-in wheelchair lifts, mobility aid storage spaces, galley style food services and fully accessible washrooms.
“People and businesses in northern Ontario rely on a safe, convenient transportation network to get where they need to go and to keep our goods moving,” Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, said in the release.
“The reinstatement of passenger rail service will ensure access to essential services like health care and education, while supporting economic prosperity and tourism in the region.”
The trainset interiors will also feature spacious seating and modern amenities, including Wi-Fi connectivity and passenger information systems with audio and visual announcements.
Once reinstated, northeastern passenger rail service will be offered from four to seven days a week, based on seasonal travel demands.
Ontario Northland Transportation Commission’s Northlander passenger train discontinued service in 2012.
CURRENTLY OPERATES BUSES
Ontario Northland currently operates four buses daily between Toronto and North Bay, and one to two buses daily from North Bay to Timmins and Cochrane.
In April 2022 Ontario Northland Transportation Commission released the Updated Initial Business Case which included a preferred route from Toronto to Timmins with a rail connection to Cochrane.
Cochrane will provide a connection to Polar Bear Express service to Moosonee.
“By 2041, annual ridership is currently estimated to be between approximately 40,000 and 60,000,” the province said in the release.
The route will include 16 stops: Toronto (Union Station), Langstaff, Gormley, Washago, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, South River, North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake (Swastika), Matheson, Timmins and Cochrane.
"The people of Timmins and northern Ontario are ecstatic about our government bringing back the Northlander rail that was discontinued in 2012,” Timmins MPP George Pirie said in the release.
“These communities need another affordable transportation option that connects them to the rest of the province and provides access to goods and services in other regions. This is an essential transportation corridor in northern Ontario that supports the entire economy because the movement of people and workers is critical for the resource sectors including mining and forestry."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
At least 15 dead after severe weather carves path of ruin across multiple U.S. states in the South
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
After more than 100 years, Newfoundland's unknown soldier returns home
An unknown Newfoundland soldier, who fought and died on the battlefields in northeastern France during the First World War, is back home this weekend for the first time in more than a hundred years.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.