Plans underway for northeastern Ontario passenger rail service

Plans are currently underway for a passenger rail service that will connect Toronto to Timmins or Cochrane, Ont., through a 13-stop route.

Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced the plans on Tuesday, with the public release of the project’s initial business case.

“We have listened to people, businesses and Indigenous communities across northern Ontario who have long awaited the return of train service on the northeast corridor,” Mulroney said in a statement Tuesday.

“This important milestone in the planning process brings us another step closer to building a better transportation network in the north.”

The government said service would be offered based on seasonal travel demands and would range from four to seven days a week.

The service would allow passengers coming from northern Ontario to travel overnight to reduce the need for overnight accommodations in Toronto, if preferred.

2:06 Greyhound leaves Canadian market after almost a century

The target completion date for the next stage of planning is 2022, which would allow for a possible in-service date of the mid-2020s.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Today we reached a very important milestone in our plan to reinstate passenger rail,” Corina Moore, president and CEO of Ontario Northland, said in a statement.

“An enhanced transportation network that integrates rail and bus services provides an exciting opportunity for the region to grow and improve.”

The news to reinstate the northeastern Ontario passenger rail service comes just weeks after Greyhound Canada announced it would cut all its bus routes.

Previously, Ontario Northland provided a passenger rail service called the Northlander, which connected Cochrane, North Bay and Toronto. It was discontinued in 2012.

Ontario Northland currently operates four buses daily between Toronto and North Bay and/or two buses a day from North Bay to Timmins and Cochrane.

The route being planned includes 13 stops in Toronto, Langstaff, Gormley, Washago, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Matheson and Timmins or Cochrane.

View image in full screen