Repairs are still underway on a damaged Ontario Northland trainset that was involved in a collision in the summer, as the launch of the Northlander service is being prepared. High Falls Road in Bracebridge was shut down July 9 after a truck was struck by one of the new Northlander trains at a level crossing. Ontario Northland said the collision took place during staff onboarding and training with only staff on board. No injuries were reported. Wednesday afternoon, the Ministry of Transportation told CTV News that repairs “will be completed soon.” “Testing and commissioning activities are advancing as we prepare the service for launch,” MTO spokesperson Dakota Brasier wrote in an email. Premier Doug Ford pledged to revive the Northlander train during the 2018 election. Three trainsets are set to hit the tracks along the 740-kilometre, 16-stop corridor from Union Station in Toronto to Timmins, with a rail connection to Cochrane. Rail service will operate four to seven days a week, based on seasonal travel demands. In January, the first of three trainsets began testing and commissioning work in Toronto before moving north. Ontario Northland took the trains along the route to ensure all systems function correctly and that they meet safety, performance and operating requirements. Each trainset consists of one locomotive and three passenger cars with 169 seats, including accessible seating, wide aisles, accessible washrooms, charging ports, Wi-Fi and LED lighting. The MTO didn’t say how much the July crash delayed commissioning and therefore the launch of the service. Dave Plourde, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, said residents are anxiously awaiting the restart. “Hopefully we get it for Christmas. There are a lot of people anticipating kids coming back from university, using the train as they used to in the old days,” Plourde said. ‘Winter is coming’ “We know that winter is coming -- and we know that the roads are going to be closed and there’s going to be accidents on the highways. The one thing that’s certain is that the train continues to operate.” Timiskaming-Cochrane NDP MPP John Vanthof said local travellers are growing anxious. “There is still construction going on some of the railway stops,” Vanthof said. “We’ve pushed for the Northlander for a long time.” Vanthof said he was hoping it would return during the summer when peak tourism season hit. “We obviously missed that. I can’t predict when it’s going to come, but I’m glad that they’re actually taking the time to do it right,” he said. The government has not yet announced the opening date, but for months has said it will be operational sometime this year. The passenger train was scrapped in September 2012 under Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government due to escalating costs and low ridership. “Hopefully, we will have enough people to use it to make it worthwhile,” Vanthof said. Money restoring the Northlander is part of $70 billion the province is spending on what it calls the largest transit expansion in North America.
