Ontario unveils first look at revived Northlander passenger train

The Ontario government unveiled the first of three new Northlander passenger trains Thursday, offering the clearest sign yet that the long-promised return of rail service between northern Ontario and Toronto is approaching.

"We're bringing back the Northlander nearly 14 years after it was cancelled by the previous Liberal government, so we can connect communities from Cochrane and Timmins all the way to downtown Toronto," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a press conference in Toronto.

"The Northlander is more than a train. It's a lifeline to jobs, education, family and friends, and so much more. It connects our province from north to south and creates economic opportunity," he added.

The service was discontinued in 2012 under the former Liberal government, which cited high operating costs and low ridership. At the time, then-premier Kathleen Wynne said the province would shift from rail to bus service.

During his 2018 election campaign, Ford pledged to bring the Northlander back.

Four years later, the province announced it had purchased three new trainsets — each set includes one locomotive and three passenger cars — for $139.5 million. At the time the province projected the annual ridership of between 40,000 and 60,000 passengers by 2041.

The Northlander will run between Toronto’s Union Station and Timmins, with 16 stops along a roughly 740-kilometre route and a rail connection to Cochrane. The trip is expected to take between 10 and 11 hours from end to end.

The trains will feature accessible seating, washrooms, Wi-Fi and charging ports.

Once testing and commissioning are complete in Toronto, the trains will be sent north for additional trials before entering service “later in 2026,” Ford said.

The full price-tag for the Northlander's return and the cost of tickets remains unknown.

According to a 2022 business case, annual operating costs for the restored service are estimated at about $283 million, with revenues of up to $93 million if ridership reaches roughly 58,000 passengers by 2041.

By comparison, the Northlander carried about 39,000 riders in 2011, the year before it was cancelled, with an annual subsidy of $100 million to keep it running.

Kirkland Lake Mayor Stacy Wight said the train will simplify travel for families whose children attend university in southern Ontario.

"When [my son] comes home to the north now using the bus, when he gets to North Bay, his travel ends there, and we have to go from Kirkland Lake, our hometown, to North Bay to get him," she said.

"When the train is in service, he will have one way to come home to us and then get back safely," Wight said. "This announcement is going to make not only students lives better, but all of the North's lives better."