South River is getting area support in its drive to become one of 13 scheduled stops as the Ontario government examines a return of rail passenger service.
Sundridge town council passed a motion at its Wednesday meeting saying South River should be one of the stops along the route from Toronto to North Bay and then from North Bay to either Timmins or Cochrane.
Mayor Lyle Hall introduced the resolution.
Hall said decades ago Central Almaguin had a rail stop in South River.
South River has argued that making it one of the 13 stops would help spur economic activity in the area and Hall made the same point saying a rail passenger stop would “also have significant possibilities for economic growth in Central Almaguin.”
Hall added he would love to see Sundridge also become a stop, but a fatal accident many years ago saw the local station in Sundridge torn down.
Even though South River hasn't had rail passenger service for decades, the train station there still stands.
South River council is examining if this building is structurally sound enough to once again house passengers disembarking or getting on a train should it become a scheduled stop.
During the debate, Sundridge Coun. Steve Hicks said Almaguin Community Economic Development (ACED) should also be involved in helping South River make the case for passenger service.
Coun. Barbara Belrose, council's representative on ACED, told her council colleagues it's her intention to raise the matter at the next board meeting.
Ontario Northland, the Ministry of Transportation and Metrolinx are working together on making the case for a return of passenger rail service to Northern Ontario.
They have set next spring as the deadline to complete the business case.
The Sundridge council motion states the Ontario government would like to see rail passenger service back by 2025.
Ontario Northland CEO and President Corina Moore is also planning a trip to South River to talk about the old train station.
In a letter Moore wrote to South River council requesting the meeting, she says the business case being put together examines several rail passenger needs, including people travelling for specialized medical services, those looking at business opportunities, students attending post-secondary schools, or people on vacation who want to use the train to get to their tourist destination spot.
Don McArthur, South River's clerk administrator, told The Nugget Thursday that Moore's staff is still working on a mutual meeting date for all parties.
- Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the North Bay Nugget. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
