It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” Lucille Frith wholeheartedly believes the train is coming back to northeastern Ontario.
Frith is the co-chair of the Committee Promoting Muskoka Rail Travel (CPMRT) and the Northeastern Ontario Rail Network (NEORN). These groups have recently launched a survey aimed at gathering data about the return of passenger rail.
For a link to the rail survey, click here. It will remain open until June 30 and Frith said the results will be forwarded to the ONTC for its planning purposes.
The groups have been advocating the provincial and federal governments for the restoration of passenger rail service in northeastern Ontario. They are also looking for a moratorium on the removal of any rail lines, and the improvement of existing passenger and freight rail services in northern Ontario.
Explained Frith, “One year ago, newly elected PC leader Doug Ford promised to return passenger rail service on the Toronto to Cochrane line which had been cancelled in 2012. This promise has been reiterated several times in the past 12 months.”
Frith recently spoke about the survey and her high hopes for the return of the service.
According to Frith, both the province and Ontario Northland have indicated that the train is coming back, with plans being developed and an announcement anticipated in November.
“The April 2019 Budget had no dollar line item for the passenger rail service but Finance Minister Fedeli stated in the legislature the government is focusing on identifying opportunities for a modern, sustainable transportation system in Northern Ontario,” she said.
Frith also indicated the survey is more aimed at gathering what people want to see from the service once it returns, instead of the possibility of it returning in the first place.
“There are a couple of questions that go for those skeptics who feel that we aren’t going to get the passenger rail service back, but I firmly believe that north-south rail service will be available to the people of Ontario who need a connected system with Southern Ontario,” said Frith.
She believed that residents of the northeast and cottagers who travel to the Muskoka area on the weekends would all benefit from the restoration of the service.
“Having something that connects with the rest of Southern Ontario would mean that my grandchild could get on the Go Train in Oakville and come to Huntsville, or go to Englehart, by train,” said Frith.
“A large majority of the world operates on passenger rail service, and not just cars. Maybe, we could avoid having so many parking lots on [Highway 400].”
The passenger rail advocate also sees environmental advantages. “If we could get some of those temporary visitors who come up on a Friday and leave on a Sunday to hop on a train and get picked up at a station, that would eliminate a few cars on the road,” said Frith.
With files from James Wood, My Muskoka Now.com
