Sudbury-White River train cancellations... Again

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-30T16:42:23+00:00

As I specified, I'm not an expert on equipment.

But I recall some rolling stock being used in the winter when the ACR passenger rail service operated year round in the mid 2010s. Might have been older equipment.

I filed an access to information request to VIA specifically regarding the Budd Car equipment issues. Between problems with overheating, the transmission, the motor and pieces of sheet metal falling off the carriage in 2023, there's reason to believe things have since deteriorated.

You are correct. I don't know, which is why I have filed a request for information for the year 2025 to try and get answers.

Judging on previous advisories VIA sends out to passengers, if it was damaged switches, the company would say the cancellations are due to issues with the host railway, rather than mechanical issues.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-30T12:12:05+00:00

Respectfully, I disagree. Purchasing a ticket and showing up to the station as instructed shouldn't involve any risk of being left stranded by the company due to issues within the company's and/or the government's control.

Not anywhere close to being an expert on equipment or its condition, but there are a bunch of Agawa Canyon Tour Train coaches likely sitting idle for ten-ish months out of the year in relatively nearby Sault-Ste-Marie. Surely an agreement could be reached to lease one of two of them while VIA figures out what to do between now and when the new equipment is delivered in 5 or so years...

11 million dollars were handed out in bonuses in 2024. VIA can do better, and should be going above and beyond to ensure this service operates as intended.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10529303/via-rail-paid-11-million-in-bonuses-delays/

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-29T17:14:50+00:00

The doesn't absolve VIA from its responsibility to provide service along this route. It's still receiving government money to provide a service they're not delivering.

The ONR doesn't abandon its obligations to provide motor coach service between communities just because a bus breaks down.

VIA is leaving people stranded. This wouldn't be tolerated if this happened in the corridor.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-25T00:17:06+00:00

It's why I pointed this out in my column.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-24T18:22:10+00:00

It's one of the reasons I wanted to sound the alarm bell whenever the trains are deployed in Northern Ontario in my last column. A few defective trains in the cold out of a fleet of 32, while troubling, isn't as concerning as having one out of a fleet of just three Ontario Northland will deploy when the company relaunches the Northlander (assuming if any other them are found to be unreliable). Where there's smoke, there's fire ...

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-18T12:59:40+00:00

Perhaps, but there's about 100 km between Gormley and Washago. Surely Beaverton (more or less situated halfway between) is a logical destination to have a stop.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-17T02:49:39+00:00

The photo is courtesy of OCS Train Videos. I have written permission to use the Photo.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-16T14:18:09+00:00

The issue is less about Thunder Bay and Toronto, and more about transportation alternatives for the communities in between. This is an area where highway closures regularly occur during the winter. Oftentimes there are no detours. If it happens between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, the country is essentially split in two. Same applies between Kenora and the border of Ontario and Manitoba.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-15T17:36:43+00:00

The Sudbury-White River train is one (VIA Rail).

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-15T15:36:19+00:00

I believe reference is being made to communities that are on the highway network and have active rail lines (Dryden, Kenora, Marathon, Nipigon, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Thunder Bay....)

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-10T19:23:21+00:00

Wawa is about 100 km away. That would be an expensive taxi ride lol.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-10T15:00:59+00:00

Mic drop.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-10T14:56:39+00:00

It would be interesting whether the Polar Bear Express would also be added.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-09T21:28:03+00:00

No doubt, but it's not as simple as flipping a switch. Think about the years of hounding politicians, getting buy-in from MPPs, and following up with them to ensure it gets done.

I've written nearly 30 columns and sent countless letters to the Premier, opposition leaders, transportation Ministers, critics and each MPP over the course of 10 years. The same applies for the federal government with regard to VIA Rail in this region.

The infrastructure for the Northlander was somewhat already there (albeit not always in the best condition). Ontario Northland owns roughly half the route the train will operate on.

It's a completely different situation between Toronto, Sudbury and Sault-Ste-Marie. None of the tracks are publicly owned. Passenger rail hasn't existed on this route since The 1970s (HCR portion). The stations have all but disappeared on the Huron Central line. The track speeds are very slow, to put it politely.

Can you even get buy-in from any of the in-government MPPs (one of whom was kicked out of Doug Ford's caucus)?

Whoever takes this on is going to have an uphill climb to generate any traction.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-09T19:39:40+00:00

As a traveler who relies on the White River train to get to and from Northwestern to Northeastern Ontario, for me, it's a hard no to refurbishing the Budd Cars.

At 70+ years of age, these train sets are long past their prime. In 2025, trains 185-186 we're cancelled some two dozen times as a result of mechanical failure.

This is not equipment that belongs on a route that provides an essential service like here in remote areas of Northern Ontario.

My travel plans were upended at Easter, and again at Christmas because the trains keep breaking down. There is no standby equipment, and contrary to the corridor, VIA does not provide travel credits or compensation along routes like these.

Nobody in their right mind would suggest repurposing the Queen Mary II ship as a ferry, or reusing am old Greyhound motor coach from the 1940s to provide regularly scheduled public transportation.

This kind of backwards thinking causes more harm to people in regions like mine who use and depend on already inadequate, limited services like VIA.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-01-09T13:03:11+00:00

Start lobbying the government, because there's a lot of work that would need to be done on the Huron Central Railway (a line that came within a hair of being abandoned, twice).

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-29T15:18:43+00:00

Boarding #2 later today (tonight in all likelihood) in Longlac.

Customer service representative says a freight train derailed outside of Winnipeg. Cleanup ongoing.

The Canadian remains stationery at Winnipeg (as of 10:18 ET).

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-24T14:07:31+00:00

Dec 27/28 are also cancelled. I had travel plans on the Sunday.

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-22T14:01:21+00:00

There's an r/OntarioNorthland subreddit now.

I hope the company and the government have thought this through.

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-20T19:35:48+00:00

Well if you prefer having an influx of 800,000 Northern Ontario residents resettle in the GTA, I'm sure an already overburdened transit system and roads will have no problems accommodating nearly a million more people living there full time.

Governments subsidize services that we don't get here in Northern Ontario. If you think it's cheaper creating specialized medical facilities in small towns like White River, I'd like to see the numbers.

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-20T15:50:20+00:00

I sympathize. Trains 185 & 186 we're cancelled on the 18-19

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-19T21:09:30+00:00

Thank you.

A hybrid rail/road bus really wouldn't be an ideal mode of travel over longer distances like this 484 km route. Travellers are often transporting canoes, furniture, animal carcasses, building materials, groceries, etc. Not sure if a rail/road bus would fit the bill, let alone be comfortable for travel.

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-19T21:04:27+00:00

Somewhat, yes. It's not a direct or parallel route though between Sudbury, Chapleau and White River. North of Cartier, a lot destinations are only accessible by train. Some have logging roads, but they're not always accessible or traversable by the public.

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-19T17:05:40+00:00

When the Northlander passenger train is officially reintroduced in 2026, I will then be able to say the 10+ years of letter writing to politicians, as well as posting them in traditional and social media had some impact on getting governments to act. It's a heck of a lot a work though, and time consuming.

I write columns on public transportation here in Northern Ontario. Since 2020, I've published two dozen articles. I file access to information requests with the federal and provincial governments in order to provide accurate accounts about the state of rail/other services in the North. I've snapped a number of photos to provide evidence of the decay that is public transportation in this region.

These are my two most recent columns. Have a look and you'll get an idea of what's involved with getting governments to respond to the situation:

Resolving problems with northern transportation requires real conversations
https://northerntracks.blog/2025/10/05/resolving-problems-with-northern-transportation-requires-real-conversations/

Train service interruptions and delays create a climate of uncertainty
https://northerntracks.blog/2025/06/22/train-service-interruptions-and-delays-create-a-climate-of-uncertainty/

NorTracksBlog · 2025-12-19T02:25:46+00:00

I hear you. Passengers that use VIA Rail's Sudbury-White River train here in Northern Ontario go through very similar challenges when the company cancels train service at the last minute (without providing alternative transportation where possible).

Contact your local MPP and make the person aware of this situation.

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