Ontario acquires CN track for Northlander train service

The Ontario government has acquired 127 miles of CN track between North Bay and Washago as part of the province's plan to restore Northlander passenger-rail service in northeastern Ontario.

The C$138 million acquisition secures a dedicated rail corridor for the Northlander. The passenger trains previously operated on track owned by freight railroads, making it difficult to maintain service reliability,  Ontario officials said in a press release.

The corridor now will prioritize Northlander service, and freight railroads will pay the Ontario Northland Crown Corp., the government-owned entity overseeing the return of the Northlander service, for use of the line. The acquisition also will streamline freight operations in North Bay, where freight trains had to be disassembled and transferred onto CN track before they could continue south, said Ontario officials.

When service begins, the Northlander route will span 460 miles between Timmins and Toronto, with a connection to Cochrane for a total of 16 stops.

The track acquisition is the latest action in Ontario's plan to return Northlander rail service, which was discontinued and replaced with buses in 2012. In early January, the first of three new Siemens Mobility-produced Northlander trainsets arrived in the province. In July 2025, Ontario awarded a contract to EllisDon to build the Timmins-Porcupine Station.