Over the next two years, nine new station shelters will be built, including in Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Huntsville, ahead of the anticipated return of the Northlander’s passenger rail service in 2026.
The announcement was made Friday morning in the parking lot next to where Bracebridge’s old train station is on Hiram St., which is only steps away from downtown.
Vijay Thanigasalam, associate minister of transportation, explains three separate contracts have been awarded to Ensicom Inc., Remcan Ltd., and X-Rail for the various design and contraction aspects of the project.
He says work will start on some of the shelters, including the one in Bracebridge, this summer. “Everything is moving positively towards meeting our timeline,” says Thanigasalam.
He explains the shelters will have enough seating for a handful of patient passengers as well as lighting and heating. Along with the ones in Muskoka, others will be constructed in Matheson, Kirkland Lake, Temiskaming Shores, Temagami, South River, and Washago.
Thanigasalam shares over the next couple of years, the province and Ontario Northland will simultaneously be working on improving parking lots adjacent to the future shelters, construct pathways, and complete the environmental assessment for the standalone station in Timmins.
Chad Evans, chief executive officer for Ontario Northland, details how when the service is operational, it will meet Northland’s commitment to connecting communities throughout the province.
“This investment marks further progress on the reinstatement of the Northlander train service,” he says. “The shelters will be safe, comfortable and accessible, providing a consistent, modern passenger experience for customers boarding and exiting the train all along the route.”
Brenda Rhodes, deputy mayor for the Town of Bracebridge, said it’s exciting to not only see the project moving forward, but to know the shelter will be so close to downtown. She spent eight years with the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce prior to being elected to town council in 2022. She says this will be a boost to “businesses, tourism, everything in between.”
She shares the town was consulted ahead of the announcement and will continue to be involved in the process, however, Rhodes points out the work will mostly be handled by the province and Ontario Northland.
Since passenger rail service was abolished in 2012, Graydon Smith, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, says between his many years on Bracebridge council and his time at Queen’s Park, he’s frequently been asked when it will return.
“[Ontarians] want an alternative to using vehicles to go back and forth,” he says. “Primarily the conversation is about Toronto and the ability to go see family and friends or get to medical appointments, but there’s also a lot of tourism opportunities that come with this.”
