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Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation

lenaitch said:
You're right. Perhaps I have been misunderstanding you all along, and perhaps I am the only one . . . but I suspect not.
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I know you are not the only one. But, that is the problem with a text based communication medium. I'd bet if we all were sitting around, chatting about these things, most would find that we are misunderstanding each other.

lenaitch said:
And perhaps they will be, in time. 2026 is a long way out. The little point in saying anything that is still in discussion.
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It is 2 years away. In projects like this, that is not very long. Mind you, if an early election gets called, this project will be highlighted in Northern ON.
 
Drove through Gravenhurst today (childhood bakery to visit). Nary a sign nor word of the revitalized train service, but did notice that the station is now an overgrown taxi depot, and the passing siding has been cut by roadwork. Much to do I think before the ‘Cottage Express’ becomes a reality……well until a new government decides this is a fiscally irresponsible program and votes for enhanced bus service to North Bay, with connections to the near north from there.
 
I am wondering, with the rumors that Dougie will be calling an early election, of the 3 major parties, will any try to stop this from going forward? Will any offer even more, such as adding trains to other places in Northern ON?
 
just east of the creek said:
Drove through Gravenhurst today (childhood bakery to visit). Nary a sign nor word of the revitalized train service, but did notice that the station is now an overgrown taxi depot, and the passing siding has been cut by roadwork. Much to do I think before the ‘Cottage Express’ becomes a reality……well until a new government decides this is a fiscally irresponsible program and votes for enhanced bus service to North Bay, with connections to the near north from there.
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The Gravenhurst station was divested by CN years ago and is owned by the town. If I recall, there is (or was) a vet clinic there as well. Others, including South River, Huntsville and Temagami are the same. The passing track hasn't been used for decades except for the occasional MOW equipment storage. The contracts were just let for shelters, crossing and track improvements.
 
just east of the creek said:
Drove through Gravenhurst today (childhood bakery to visit). Nary a sign nor word of the revitalized train service, but did notice that the station is now an overgrown taxi depot, and the passing siding has been cut by roadwork. Much to do I think before the ‘Cottage Express’ becomes a reality……well until a new government decides this is a fiscally irresponsible program and votes for enhanced bus service to North Bay, with connections to the near north from there.
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If service is starting in 2026 is there a point in sprucing up now when weeds and graffiti will undo the work in the meantime?
 
dowlingm said:
If service is starting in 2026 is there a point in sprucing up now when weeds and graffiti will undo the work in the meantime?
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Good point, but I doubt there will be much 'prettying up' of the ROW beyond perhaps the environs of a station stop and only to the extent of making it safe. Many of the shelters will be going on somebody else's property and I doubt there is much in the budget to spruce up or maintain a spruced-up state.

Railways don't usually do 'pretty'.
 
With stations only being used once per day it's nice to heritage stations doing double duty.

My favourite station for the Northlander is by far Temagami Station. I don't know what it is used for now but if it's an art gallery train some of the staff to give information/sell tickets before/after the train arrives. Keeps the station alive and the use continues outside of departure times.
 
Garuda said:
With stations only being used once per day it's nice to heritage stations doing double duty.

My favourite station for the Northlander is by far Temagami Station. I don't know what it is used for now but if it's an art gallery train some of the staff to give information/sell tickets before/after the train arrives. Keeps the station alive and the use continues outside of departure times.
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One problem will be proposed train times: 0415 s/b and 0110 n/b.
 
TVO did a discussion on transit in Ontario. Here's the segment where they discussed the Ontario Northlander. One of the guests mentioned something I never considered. Doug Ford is re-investing in Northlander simply because of the Ring of Fire. They need to get workers to and form the mining sites.

 
crs1026 said:
If he is, he needs to read a map. And perhaps ask how workers travel to other resource projects.

The Northlander route is not anywhere near the Ring of Fire.

- Paul
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The old CN line to Longlac would need to be put back.Since CN still has their line through there, I don't see that happening. For some reason, I thought the ore will be processed in SSM.
 
There was a number of dots being connected by some very tenuous lines. Even if infrastructure existed (which it doesn't- as pointed out) once the camp opens, workers aren't going to travel from Toronto to several hours north of Thunder Bay for their shifts.

I haven't really been closely following it but if I recalled correctly, the idea of a rail line to the RoF is dead. Any talk I see now is a haul road.

One commenter mentioned "electrification". I'm not aware of any significant mineral deposits in the RoF that would be critical to electrification or aren't currently available elsewhere. The primary deposits Chromium (the main deposit and biggest potential money-maker), Nickel, Zinc, Copper and Platinum Group (Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium, and Osmium).

micheal_can said:
I thought the ore will be processed in SSM.
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The last I heard, the Chromium smelter is proposed for The Soo, but they plan to do earlier mining for the other minerals in order to start paying for the development, and they were to be processed at existing mills - I thought Sudbury. The whole thing has gone through some changes in ownership so plans may be evolving and I stopped closely following it.

Quite frankly, if the discovery had just been base and PG metals, I doubt the site would be developed. It is extremely remote and development costs astonishingly expensive. I don't know the proven or inferred reserves of any of it but I get the sense that the non-Chromium deposits alone wouldn't have made the site viable. It's one thing when your end product is measured in grams or ounces (gold, diamond, etc.) and another if it is in tons.
 
lenaitch said:
There was a number of dots being connected by some very tenuous lines. Even if infrastructure existed (which it doesn't- as pointed out) once the camp opens, workers aren't going to travel from Toronto to several hours north of Thunder Bay for their shifts.
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If the project goes ahead, there will undoubtedly be an airstrip and chartered air flights - just as there are to resource projects west of Hudsons Bay. Getting to and from the sites quickly is part of the attraction package for workers in those projects.

- Paul
 
Bojaxs said:
TVO did a discussion on transit in Ontario. Here's the segment where they discussed the Ontario Northlander. One of the guests mentioned something I never considered. Doug Ford is re-investing in Northlander simply because of the Ring of Fire. They need to get workers to and form the mining sites.

Click to expand...

That’s only part of the episode. You can watch the full episode on TVO’s website. Worth a watch IMHO.
Why Is It So Hard To Get Around Ontario? June 11, 2024
 
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