A private Ontario transport operator says 30-minute hovercraft service across Lake Ontario between Niagara Region and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will have to wait amid project delays.
Hoverlink Ontario Inc., who promised to move passengers back and forth between Ontario Place in Toronto and Port Weller in St. Catharines, says timelines are “running longer than expected” and that its launch date is now being “reevaluated.”
In an news release, a Hoverlink executive cited “complexities” with the program as the reason for the postponement.
Founder and CEO Chris Morgan said “delays on both sides of Lake Ontario as governing bodies ensure full compliance is met on every level.”
“We want to ensure the communities we intend to serve that we are continuing to move forward through the requirements necessary for operational success,” Morgan stated.
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The company announced the service in November boasting trips quicker than the typical two- to three-hour commute made by cars and bus.
The initial routes are expected to run 365 days a year with up to 48 lake crossings per day.
Morgan told Global News the idea came during a casual conversation with family in 2011 while he was overseas in the United Kingdom.
“We talked about technology and … how it can work … around cities that have water, water links for lack of a better description,” Morgan told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
The company originally stated it would have two crafts, each with a capacity for about 180 passengers, to serve more than three million travellers per year with “low-emission” engines.
They estimated roundtrips would cost about $50 to $60 per person.
Wi-Fi and shuttle bus service would be included in fares.