By Bob Gallegos

TORONTO — As if Siemens Mobility isn’t busy enough building new trains for Amtrak and VIA, it’s now also building them for Ontario Northland. In December, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Transportation Stan Cho announced that the provincial government was purchasing three trainsets from Siemens to restart ONR’s Northlander service, which last ran in 2012. 

Each trainset will include one SC44 locomotive, two passenger cars and a cab car, all wearing ONT’s stunning blue and yellow colors. The price for the three sets is $139.5 million (Canadian). The trains are similar to those currently being placed into service by VIA. The Northlander is expected to return in the mid-2020s.

“This is a significant step forward in bringing back the rail service that Northerners deserve,” Cho said. “The reinstated Northlander train will provide a safe and reliable transportation option for Northern communities, especially in the winter months. This purchase demonstrates real progress, as we continue to take concrete steps to build a better transportation network for the North.”

The Northlander will connect Cochrane with Toronto.