CANADA: Ontario has bought the 205 km Newmarket Subdivision between North Bay and Washago from CN as part of the provincial government’s programme to reintroduce Northlander passenger services on a 740 km route from Toronto Union and Timmins-Porcupine.
The province said the C$138m acquisition completed in late February would enable it to maintain the infrastructure to ensure the punctuality and reliability of both passenger and freight services. Passenger services will be prioritised, with freight revenues directed back to the province’s Ontario Northland business.
‘For many years, the Northlander operated on rail lines owned by others, which meant passenger service often had to give way to freight traffic’, said Dave Plourde, President of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, on March 13. ‘That made schedules difficult to maintain and reduced reliability for people depending on the train to travel north or south. By securing this corridor, the province is helping ensure that passenger service can be planned and delivered with greater dependability. For northern Ontario residents, businesses and visitors, that reliability will make a real difference.’
CN EVP & CFO Ghislain Houle said the freight railway ‘was pleased to work with the government of Ontario and Ontario Northland on this agreement’. He added that ‘CN remains committed to working collaboratively with partners to support reliable passenger service while continuing to deliver safe, efficient freight transportation for our customers’.
Northlander passenger services are planned to start this year. The first of three Siemens Mobility push-pull trainsets was delivered in January, and more than C$100m of infrastructure upgrades have been completed.
