CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario

Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
News Release

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This Thursday, the residents of Northern Ontario received the dreaded news of the decision that many have been working diligently to prevent.

Details of the province's plan for a radical shift in public transportation options in the Northeast region were released.

The Ontario Provincial government is moving ahead with their plans to end services on the Ontario Northlander Railway, which runs from Toronto to Cochrane.

The scheduled stop date for services is September 28, 2012. Regular train service will continue until that date.

This decision will not affect the Polar Bear express which runs from Cochrane to Moosonee. However, the services provided by the Niska I ferry will now be provided by the Owen Sound Transportation Company.

One large shock is the fact that an environmental assessment exemption has been granted for all activities of the ONTC divestment process.

This disheartening news comes as a huge disappointment for those who understand the social, cultural, historical, environmental and economic benefits of passenger rail.

CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario in our efforts to see the completion of our Ontario rail network.

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