Well over a decade after it was cancelled, Premier Doug Ford arrived on the new Northlander train in North Bay on Thursday.
The province says the visit marked a critical step in the passenger rail service’s return to service later this year.
Details on fares have also been released. Anticipated prices include about $109 for an adult from North Bay to Toronto or Timmins, $93 for a senior and student, and $54 dollars for a child under 12.
Ford says they’re economical.
“They have discounts for everything from veterans to seniors to families,” he says. “They’ve priced it very competitively and what I’ve seen it’s about 10% more than a bus ride. It’s great that they have the buses but, man, you have the choice between the bus and this… it’s night and day.”
Ontario Northland CEO Chad Evans says one of the most popular questions he’s asked is about the cost to ride the train.
“I echo the Premier’s sentiment, I think it’s affordable,” he says. “We heard from the start of those consultations that people wanted an affordable ticket so we priced a fair price for this wonderful service.”
Evans says details on fares are posted on their website.
Meantime, we’re still waiting on a start date for the new service.
Officials say ‘burning’ testing on the first trainset is nearing completion, which has travelled more than 1,600 kilometres in conditions that simulate regular service.
Following that, Ontario Northland will train staff on equipment, run emergency exercises, test schedules and more.
