Province spending $140M on new Ontario Northland trains for Toronto-Timmins service

Ontario government officials have announced a $139.5-million order for three new train sets as part of a plan to reintroduce rail service between Toronto and Timmins.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, officials said Ontario Northland rail service should be up and running sometime in the mid-2020s.

During the 2022 election, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario campaigned on restoring train service to the northeastern part of the province after it was scrapped in 2012.

Currently, there are four daily Ontario Northland buses that operate between Toronto and North Bay. There are also one or two buses daily between North Bay and Cochrane with a stop in Timmins.

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Ontario Northland currently operates four buses daily between Toronto and North Bay, and one to two buses daily from North Bay to Timmins and Cochrane.

The trains between Toronto’s Union Station and Timmins will service the following stops and communities: Langstaff, Gormley, Washago, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, South River, North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake and Matheson. There will also be connections to Cochrane and Moosonee.

Officials said rail service will run four to seven days a week. Current estimates peg the annual ridership to be between 40,000 and 60,000 by 2041.

Provincial government staff said the trainsets, which are being built by Siemens Mobility Limited, will be fully accessible and will have wi-fi.