Toronto, Jan 8, 2026, 18:10 EST
- Ontario showcased the first of three new Siemens trainsets for the revived Northlander passenger service
- Draft timetable shows an overnight Toronto–Timmins run with 16 stops, including Muskoka communities
- A business case forecast tens of thousands of annual trips but said the service would need a subsidy
Ontario unveiled the first of three new Northlander passenger trainsets on Thursday and said the long-promised service linking Toronto and northeastern Ontario is edging toward a return later in 2026. “The Northlander is more than a train,” Premier Doug Ford said at the event in Etobicoke. “It’s a lifeline to jobs, education, family and friends.” 1
Passenger service on the corridor was halted in 2012, leaving buses and cars to do most of the work between Toronto and northern communities. The province ordered three Siemens-built trainsets in 2022 for C$139.5 million, with Ontario Northland CEO Chad Evans calling the purchase “a key next step,” while Siemens Mobility Canada chief Yves Desjardins-Siciliano pointed to “our most advanced technology.” 2
Ontario Northland has been pitching the revived Northlander as a practical link for residents and workers, and a straight shot for travelers headed north of the GTA. A proposed timetable on its website shows a 6:30 p.m. departure from Toronto’s Union Station and a 5:10 a.m. arrival in Timmins, with Muskoka stops including Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville. 3
The operator says each Venture trainset will run as a set — one locomotive with three passenger cars — and will be fitted out more like modern corridor service than the old Northlander. Ontario Northland is advertising Wi‑Fi, power outlets and USB charging, plus accessibility features such as fully accessible washrooms, mobility-aid spaces, braille signage and audio-and-visual onboard announcements. 4
Track work has also been part of the push to make the service viable. A new North Bay Rail Bypass was built to route passenger trains around the rail yard where Canadian National, Ottawa Valley Railway and Ontario Northland handle freight, and the province said the 982-metre link should trim about 15 minutes from travel time to North Bay station. 5
Ridership and finances remain a big part of the debate, and the numbers are not huge by southern Ontario standards. A business case for the project projected annual rail ridership in 2041 of roughly 38,000 to 60,000 trips depending on the final route, and said the service would require an operating subsidy; it also noted some past North Bay–Toronto holiday runs carried more than 200 passengers, driving a target of about 150 seats per trainset. 6
The Northlander’s Siemens order also lands in a wider Canadian fleet shift. VIA Rail says its Québec City–Windsor corridor — its busiest route — is moving to Siemens Venture trainsets powered by Charger locomotives. 7
But the calendar is still loose. A Trains report last week said no start date has been set and that the launch hinges on delivery of all three trainsets and months of testing, while ticket prices also remain undecided. 8
For now, Ontario has a train to point to — and a draft timetable — but it still has to turn both into a service people will actually ride.
