(The following report appeared on the Northern Ontario Business website on May 27.)
SUDBURY, Ont. — Regional railways in Northern Ontario will have to wait until fall to find out what portion of Transport Canada’s $24.4 million in railway funding is earmarked for the North.
Ottawa has created a one-year contribution program to provide funding for four remote and regional passenger rail lines across Canada. Transport Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada will both contribute to the program.
“This funding will help to keep rail services running in Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding areas,” said Sault Ste. Marie Carmen Provenzano in a May 21 news release.
The program will provide funding for passenger services between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, and between Toronto and North Bay, on lines operated
by the Canadian National (Algoma Central Railway) and the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission respectively.
The funding will be used for operating, capital and start-up requirements for four services.