Northlander
The Northlander at Englehart station.
Overview
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Ontario, Canada
Termini	Toronto Union Station Cochrane
Stations	14
Service
Type	Inter-city rail
System	Ontario Northland Railway
Operator(s)	Ontario Northland Railway
History
Opened	1976
Closed	September 28, 2012
Technical
Track length	776 km (482 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Polar Bear Express 10:45 Cochrane 9:50 Matheson 9:05 Swastika 8:25 Englehart 7:55 New Liskeard 7:40 Cobalt 6:55 Temagami 5:10 North Bay 3:55 South River 3:00 Huntsville 2:25 Bracebridge 2:10 Gravenhurst 1:45 Washago 0:00 Toronto

The Northlander was a passenger train operated by the provincially-owned Ontario Northland Railway in southwest and northeast Ontario, Canada. In 2012, rail service was discontinued and replaced with express bus service. Rail service will be reinstated in 2026 with an expanded route, greater frequency, new Siemens Venture train sets manufactured by Siemens Mobility Ltd., and various track and station upgrades.^[1][2] The new bi-directional route will run up to seven days a week from Toronto Union Station to Timmins, with an additional new rail connection from Timmins to Cochrane (where passengers can then connect directly to the Polar Bear Express at Cochrane Station) and express bus service from Matheson to Cochrane Station.^[3]

Prior to 2012, the Northlander operated six days per week year-round in both directions and connected Cochrane with Toronto. The train typically consisted of one engine, an auxiliary power unit, two coaches and a cafeteria lounge car. It ran on ONR tracks from Cochrane to North Bay and on CN tracks south of North Bay to Toronto.

Plans to resume rail service

Prior to the 2018 Ontario general election, Doug Ford promised to restore the service.^[4] Ontario Northland prepared a business plan and submitted it to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario in late 2019, and the resumption of the service was mentioned in the province's Draft Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario published in December 2020,^[5] although no timeline was provided.

In May 2021, the provincial government announced plans for Ontario Northland and Metrolinx to resume rail operations between Toronto and northeastern Ontario with a 13-stop route to begin service by the mid-2020s. The route would provide service from Toronto to Timmins or Cochrane and would be available between four and seven days a week, based on seasonal travel demands.^[6] Two of the proposed stations, Gormley and Langstaff, are not ONR stations from the original Northlander route but they are serving GO Transit Richmond Hill line. Stations south of North Bay to Washago and south of Cochrane would need to be restored as they have either become inactive or adapted for other uses.

In April 2022, Ontario's Progressive Conservative government announced it has earmarked $75 million to restore the Northlander passenger rail service to northeastern Ontario. President and CEO of Ontario Northland Corina Moore said the money will be split over the next three years. She said it will look after passenger coaches, infrastructure and stations. The province said it continues to eye an in-service date of 2025. They said that the service will be offered on seasonal travel demands and will range from four and seven days a week between northern Ontario and Toronto.^[7]

On December 15, 2022, The Ontario Government revealed that it had purchased three trainsets from Siemens Mobility for use on the Northlander, each comprising a Charger locomotive, two Venture coaches, and a cab car operating in a push-pull configuration on trains between Toronto and Timmins.^[8]

By December 2023, further details became known. The trip from Toronto to Cochrane on the restored Northlander is expected take 10 hours and 40 minutes. Trains would leave Cochrane in the evening, and return in the evening or overnight. Station along the route would be slightly different from the pre-2012 service; the 16 stops would be Union Station, Langstaff, Gormley, Washago, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, South River, North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake/Swastika, Matheson, Timmins, and Cochrane. Northbound trains would have a layover in Timmins before proceeding to Cochrane, but an optional express bus service would be available. Instead of a dining car, the new Northlander would have seat service for food and beverages. Ridership by 2041 is expected to be 60,000 per year.^[9]

Stations

The Northlander made scheduled stops at the following stations:

Temagami railway station

Cochrane railway station

Dream Catcher Express

The Dream Catcher Express was a seasonal passenger rail service that ran annually over a period of six days from the end of September to the beginning of October. It operated between North Bay and Temagami along the same route as the Northlander.

Train sets consisted of several single deck cars, a dining car, and a dome car.

The service was by reservation only and provided one run per day. Trains departed in the morning and returned in the early evening. The Dream Catcher Express allowed passengers to view the fall colours in Northern Ontario.

This service, along with the Northlander, ended in 2012.

References

External links

• Official Website for the former Northlander service discontinued in 2012
• Northlander Passenger Rail Updates for the future reinstatement of the Northlander
• Dream Catcher Express
• Northeastern Ontario Rail Network
• Committee Promoting Muskoka Rail Travel
• Transport Action Ontario