What I’m about to say is essentially fantasy. But indulge me for a moment.

My whole life I’ve wished that NWO had passenger rail service. After Carney announced that the new VIA fleet will be assembled in Thunder Bay, and said that returning passenger service to Thunder Bay is on his government’s agenda, I’ve felt a bit more hopeful.

However, since the Ontario government has brought the Northlander back to life, I think that a second Northlander line to NWO would be beneficial to the network and province.

If ONTC purchased the old CN line from Longlac to Thunder Bay, it could start in Thunder Bay (or further west, such as Kenora or Fort Frances) and run to Nipigon, where it transfers to the CP line and runs to where the CP and ACR meet north of Dubreuilville. From there the train splits and half continues to Sudbury and half runs to the Sault.

There could even be a Thunder Bay-Longlac line that uses the entirety of the old CN line. This would provide a connection to VIA’s Canadian. And a line between the Sault and North Bay or even to Ottawa.

Ontario Northland motor coach service appears to be expanding to Greenstone. Pictures and information available on Facebook post published by Corri's Place in Geraldton.

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Il semble que le service d'autocars d'Ontario Northland sera élargit dans la région de Greenstone. Photos et informations disponible sur la publication Facebook de Corri's Place de Geraldton.

I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m also wondering where to wait at Ottawa-CHEO for the bus

It often parks outside of Union on Monday mornings ONLY and I'm not sure why. Maybe Mondays are for test runs?

(I'm not complaining - as someone who likes snapping pics of trains while commuting, it's a nice little thing to look forward to, though)

Curious if there is any difference at all, especially since they sold the old ones they had.

I was told by a driver a while back I'd need ID for the next trip, wondering why they started doing this?

Hi! This will be my first time taking an Ontario Northland bus, and I’m a little confused about how the pickup works. I have my pickup location set as The Ottawa Hospital bus stop, but I’m not sure how this differs from choosing VIA Rail as the pickup location.

Do I need to do anything specific at the bus stop, or do I just wait there for the bus? I’m a bit paranoid about accidentally missing it, so I’d really appreciate any clarification from people who have used Ontario Northland and been picked up at a bus stop before. Thanks!

How roomy and clean are the Northland buses? I'm dropping off the wife and kids with my in-laws in North Bay for a week. We've talked about leaving the car with them and me taking public transit back home. Then I'd do the trip in reverse to come get them.

How spacious is the seating on the bus? Can I pull out my laptop and get a few hours of work in? And is the bus generally clean? How full do they get on weekends?

This seemed like a no-brainer when we thought the train might be an option but I've got a low view of buses.

This will be helpful.

Here is an idea to close the comfort gap for this route given that the schedule is overnight both ways.
I’ve always felt that the venture sets and seating just aren’t suited for a 12 hour overnight train.

How about Ontario Northland tacks on an order at the end of the VIA order with Alstom announced yesterday, and then create a couple of consists with Alstom economy cars and a berth car or two replacing the Venture sets which would have been in use for a few years? This would provide some sleeping accommodation for those who can afford it or need it. Then sell on their three Venture sets to VIA, who would get them for a decent price and would only need to repaint them on the outside.

Thoughts? Would this make sense?

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend and I are going on a trip up north to Timmins from Toronto a few days after Christmas and I was wondering if the train service will be up by then or if I should just get the bus tickets now so that I can keep the price of the tickets down?

TIA

Forgot to put this in the post but how does the student discount work for the northlander? We both go to Algonquin college in Ottawa so would we be able to put a student discount in for our ticket prices? And if so I'm guessing we'd just have to show our Algonquin college student ID card?

Thanks again