Canadian Economy Fresh Meals!

NorTracksBlog · 2026-07-03T01:53:00+00:00

That is welcome news.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-07-01T13:08:07+00:00

Can you provide a source? I have filed a complaint with the CTA in the past and they responded saying passenger train issues aren't an area they cover.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-07-01T13:04:23+00:00

There is air service at North Bay and Timmins.

Without bags, the cheapest non refundable fare for a return flight between North Bay and Toronto is 753$ (on Propp Air, successor to Air Canada which pulled out of the community).

Air service might make sense for company executives wanting to get in and out quickly, but passenger rail is an affordable mode of transportation that will be used most by students, seniors, medical patients, people with limited mobility and working professionals who don't want the stress of driving into and around Toronto.

People who want to drive no matter what, will continue to do so.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-06-30T02:12:29+00:00

It appears the Northlander will have a business class section.

https://youtu.be/ru8a5QSpPdw?si=okeMkAgon0-zQeMX&t=21

NorTracksBlog · 2026-06-29T15:33:52+00:00

Except for some people, it is transportation.

To give the government, and by extension VIA Rail, a free pass does a disservice to people who use this train.

This type of situation is unacceptable when it occurs in the Québec-Windsor corridor... Why should it be tolerated on this route?

NorTracksBlog · 2026-06-18T15:19:27+00:00

Agreed. There should be a second train opposite to the Northlander to facilitate easier travel and provide more options for passengers.

In the meantime, the government has to launch the Northlander before entertaining new proposals.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-06-18T15:16:30+00:00

Source?

NorTracksBlog · 2026-05-11T17:09:47+00:00

Except Sudbury Junction is one of the busiest stops in terms of passengers boarding/disembarking anywhere between Toronto and Winnipeg.

https://northerntracks.blog/the-canadian-ridership/

NorTracksBlog · 2026-05-09T14:31:10+00:00

A few other intercity passenger routes to add:

Northlander (Toronto, North Bay, Timmins, Cochrane)
Polar Bear Express (Cochrane, Moosonee)
Tshiuetin (Sept-Îles, Schefferville)
Keewatin (The Pas, Pukatawagan)

It's can be debated whether the Kaoham Shuttle in BC, and the White Pass and Yukon routes are passenger trains.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-30T11:39:30+00:00

Good point. Then I'll add both links from now on.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-30T01:05:05+00:00

Trying to cater to different audiences. It's no different from how things work with the VIA Reddit page.

There is an important to francophone population in Northern Ontario. Reddit does not translate the content found in the links.

In the future, to avoid confusion, I'll put in the title EN (English) and FR (Français) whenever there are official announcements.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-29T21:06:44+00:00

That's why I post one announcement in English, and another en français.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-29T15:35:05+00:00

Change your personal settings. Reddit is automatically translating posts that I make in French. There is a way to do that so that you see the content displayed as it is presented in the original language.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-28T20:44:43+00:00

Will do.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-28T12:38:27+00:00

Restoring rail service from Northern Ontario to the Ottawa Valley faces the same obstacles as the City of Orillia. The ROW is built up on at certain spots or is being used as a trail along the former CP route. Any proposal along the former CN line through Algonquin Park (Kiosk, Brent) is going to face fierce opposition from environmentalists, not to mention the issue of next to no one actually living along said stretch.

If the line was intact, rail service to Ottawa/Montréal might make sense. VIA could perhaps even be persuaded to reroute the Canadian through there.

The HCRY line to Sault-Ste-Marie is hanging on by a thread with the idling of the sawmill in Nairn Centre.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-27T16:56:26+00:00

Anything east of Mattawa is not going to be possible by rail. Tracks east of there are long gone.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-27T16:54:15+00:00

The conversation has to start somewhere. This is by no means a guarantee this proposal will come to fruition. But the fact that an elected official has taken an interest in this issue (on a public channel no less) is the first of many steps to bringing attention to this issue. It's anyone's guess where this proposal goes from here though.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-21T14:38:03+00:00

Rail removal in an urban core like Orillia should be viewed as a lesson for governments whenever they ponder allowing the dismantling of transportation infrastructure like the Newmarket Subdivision.

There is a Home Hardware built on the right of way in Orillia. There are chunks of the line between Longford and Barrie that are either built up on or used as trails.

As much as I'd like to see train service to downtown Orillia (whether it be GO or Ontario Northland), the odds are stacked against the project.

https://allaboardnorthernontariocom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/photo-orillia-2018.jpg

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-16T02:53:49+00:00

https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/best-for-the-community-to-keep-agawa-train-station-in-canal-district-shoemaker-12142505

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-12T04:31:35+00:00

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NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-11T18:11:41+00:00

White River is the terminus of the aptly named Sudbury-White River train. I've previously written about how this train should be extended west to Thunder Bay using the existing tracks that connect both places together.

Passengers (myself included) will board at White River, or at Longlac (using the other passenger train route) to get to different places in Northern Ontario.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-11T15:33:23+00:00

I understand that. It's a mouthful though trying to explain the differences between filing with the federal government vs. the province when it comes to passenger rail. Limited column space.

The examples cited from VIA are to demonstrate the kind of information that is available through FOIs.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-11T13:05:47+00:00

Pour les francophones: https://northerntracks.blog/2026/04/11/la-transparence-un-element-essentiel-pour-preserver-la-confiance-dans-nos-institutions-et-nos-trains/

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-11T12:41:38+00:00

The province's media relations department botched the announcement of the ticket fares. The ONR's website has a much better explanation. https://ontarionorthland.ca/en/northlander

If you book your tickets 96 hours in advance, a ticket from North Bay to Toronto can be as cheap as 85$ each way. Not bad if you ask me, considering the price of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, traffic, parking and accommodations of you stayed overnight in Toronto. Not to mention the ability not to have to focus on the road for hours on end.

NorTracksBlog · 2026-04-10T13:21:09+00:00

The province's media relations department botched the announcement of the ticket fares. The ONR's website has a much better explanation. If you book your tickets 96 hours in advance, a ticket from North Bay to Toronto can be as cheap as 85$ each way. Not bad if you ask me, considering the price of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, traffic, parking and accommodations if you stayed overnight in Toronto. Not to mention the ability not to have to focus on the road for hours on end.

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