‘The sooner the better’.
That’s when Vic Fedeli, Nipissing MPP, wants to see passengers on board the new Northlander.
The first of three trainsets has arrived in Ontario with testing underway.
“The cars will be in Toronto for at least a couple of months,” says Fedeli. “Then they come up north and they’ll be tested here for some months as well, up and down the line, making sure everything is working fine.”
He says what the train offers is a game changer for transportation in the region.
“We heard from the mayor of Cochrane for medical appointments,” says Fedeli, who attended Thursday’s announcement that the train has arrived in Toronto. “The mayor of Kirkland Lake talked about school kids getting back and forth. The mayor of Huntsville talked about tourism, and the Premier spoke about economic development. You need a community that is connected.”
He also says the trains themselves are state-of-the-art.
“The interior is spectacular,” says Fedeli. “There are business compartments, mobility areas and everything is fully accessible.”
He adds these are the first new cars that Ontario Northland has ever had.
“We want to show that we’re serious,” Fedeli recalls telling the ministry when the decision was made to bring back the service. “We need to buy new cars instead of used cars for the last 100 years.”
This September marks 14 years since the last Northlander left the station.
