Timmins tapped for terminal station in planned passenger rail revival
As northeastern Ontario nears a decade without a passenger train connecting them to the southern part of the province, officials announced that Timmins will be the final stop for the planned 13-station rail system.
The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission's (ONTC) new board chair, Alan Spacek, said this bodes well for plans to revive passenger rail in the region.
"All of us will have access to rail service," Spacek said.
"We haven't finalized a complete organizational structure or transportation network yet, but I can assure you that everyone will have good access to that passenger rail service."
The province cited Timmins' status as a regional hub as its decision to eventually build a terminal station there. Cochrane was also under consideration as the terminus.
The region's passenger rail system was decommissioned in 2012 after decades of servicing northerners.
Timmins Mayor George Pirie said people have been in need of more convenient access to southern Ontario—and vice versa—and so he sees this as an encouraging step towards making that a reality.
"There were 300,000 people that travelled on passenger rail through the north on the ONTC," Pirie said, highlighting the ability to better connect people to services and tourist attractions.
"We're very happy that Timmins has been the designated choice as the northern terminal."
Spacek said the planning process is a tedious one, when factoring in safety regulations, securing rail cars, and coordinating with the rail system's other stakeholders, like CN Rail.
That's why he said there is no projection at the moment on when people could expect to see the system in operation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.