A road show about rail service has begun along the Highway 11 corridor, dealing with the returning Northlander passenger service.
Ontario Northland is holding several “community connection events” in the next little while, with more to come in 2024.
In Timmins on Friday, ONTC chief executive officer Chad Evans said it’s a progress update for the communities that will be served by the train. And eight tables are looking for public input about various aspects of the service – the menu, for instance.
“This train will operate at-your-seat service, food and beverages,” says Evans. “There’ll be a digital menu that passengers can order from. Do you like vegetarian food, do you want to see local businesses featured on the menu, is there seasonal preferences perhaps that you’d like?”
You also get to vote on the exterior graphic design of the train, which won’t go into service for a few more years. Evans says it’s too early to buy a ticket. The two train sets will be delivered by Siemens in the mid-2020s. Then there’s testing and commissioning them.
“It takes a number of months for us to do that,” he explains, “but once those trains start to pass through your communities, the date will be very close and by that time, we’ll be announcing it and we’ll be selling you a ticket.”
The calendar of community connection events is on ONTC social media. And the full interview with Chad Evans is posted below.
