On July 14, the Ontario government announced that it had awarded a contract to build the Timmins-Porcupine Station, marking a significant step in the province’s work to bring back Northlander passenger rail service between Timmins and Toronto.
“Our government is getting shovels in the ground on this critical station, delivering on our promise to bring back the Northlander and better connect northern communities to jobs, health care and opportunity,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation in a press release. “It’s all part of our plan to protect Ontario in the face of unprecedented U.S. tariffs. We’re supporting northern industries and the resource sector, unlocking economic growth and investing in infrastructure that builds a stronger, more resilient future for Ontario.”
The northeastern passenger rail service will provide service from Toronto to Timmins. It will include a rail connection to Cochrane. The route identified to date includes 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.
Huntsville’s train station was sold in 2017 for $2 to a private group by the council of the time under then-Mayor Scott Aitchison, despite fierce opposition. (See related stories below.) Consequently, out of 16 stops, the train will stop at nine train shelters along the route, not just in Huntsville but in Matheson, Kirkland Lake (Swastika), Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard), Temagami, South River, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Washago.
According to the Ontario Northlander website, the shelters will provide passengers with a safe and accessible space to wait for the train. The shelters will be equipped with ample lighting, real-time train arrival updates, CCTV security cameras, and Wi-Fi access.
Construction has started at Northlander stop locations north of North Bay, with work continuing on the remaining stop locations, including South River, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville in 2025.
Although there is no exact date, Ontario Northland plans to resume passenger train operations sometime in 2026, following the completion of infrastructure upgrades and successful train testing.
“The Northlander will fundamentally shift how people move across the province, creating more connections to the province’s integrated transportation network,” stated Chad Evans, Chief Executive Officer at Ontario Northland, on July 14. “The Northlander will provide improved access to essential services, such as health care and education, while supporting economic prosperity and tourism in the region, strengthening the connection between the north and the south.”
Work is also underway along the Northlander track to adjust curves to ensure the train runs at higher speeds and with fewer disruptions. Once reinstated, the Northlander will provide southbound service leaving from Timmins and northbound service leaving from Toronto, up to seven days a week, based on seasonal travel demands, states the release.
Related
Council moves forward with sale of Huntsville train station, despite fierce opposition
Huntsville’s train station must stay, but who will be responsible for its care?
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
It didn’t take Ford long to start tearing apart Ontario Place but it has taken him seven years to award a contract to build a station in Timmons
Well this is good news but a long time in coming.
It was a deplorable decision to sell off or close train stations instead of modernizing them but that is history.
It is also an embarrassment that a town the size of Huntsville, growing quickly, does not have decent transportation hub, where trains and busses can connect with each other, and taxis or personal cars. There should be such a place, well located and with ample parking and access to town services. (in other words this mythical station should be within walking distance of the main town services and stores and hotels.
Maybe some planners could put their effort into this and come up with something that works so we have a place to go to celebrate the return of the train other than just stand on some gravel beside the track.
I’m a bit curious, when the picture shows a three car train with two locomotives. Either this is just an artist’s guess or maybe we need a locomotive at each end for some regulatory measure or maybe locomotives these days are pretty feeble or perhaps, people are very heavy. There are a lot of options here but I’ve seen a lot of trains with way more than three cars and only one engine. Something seems like overkill here.
I know things “change” but we have a surplus of hotel rooms now and a lack of things to do. No theater, no bowling alley and such. I suppose most people entertain themselves these days with their phones. Maybe this is good, it is hard to tell but for me, nothing will ever replace the large screen movie theater we used to have.
Thank you for bringing back the Ontario Northland Passenger Train I am happy to see a piece of my childhood getting ready to return to action in 2026
Lord help us!! This is somewhat like waiting for a glacier. But with less control.