The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.
TIMMINS – The morning mist was still burning off when The Northlander pulled away from the Cochrane Train Station early Friday morning, departing as it has for the past 36 years, bound for Toronto’s Union Station. This trip however, had a very different significance.
It was the last trek south that The Northlander would make. The last day that it would serve as the main passenger artery from the Northeast to the south. The last day that it would provide its legendary comfort, ease of use and reliability.
Friday was the latest nail in the coffin of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and its rail passengers service in the North.
“This is a very sad day,” said Black River-Matheson Mayor Mike Milinkovich. The Matheson station was a key link for Timmins residents. It’s where the shuttle bus would take passengers bound for the Northlander.
“This train has been in operation under one name or another for 105 years, now that legacy is at risk,” he said. Despite the fact that as far as the McGuinty government is concerned, this is the trains last trip down the rails, northern Mayors like Milinkovich aren’t throwing in the towel just yet.
“We are going to continue to fight tooth and nail for this service, we can still restore the passenger service to this area,” he said. “Step by step by step, they keep taking things from the North, they sure as hell don’t seem to give a damn about us up here.”
For Milinkovich, this move, coupled with other recent decisions made concerning Northerners can, only mean one thing.
“I think that this is part of a plan by this government to de-industrialize the North by removing essential links like this,” he said. “The people of the North are not being well served by this government. I don’t think that there can be any question of that fact.”
Milinkovich along with fellow mayors in Iroquois Falls, Timmins and Cochrane among others have attempted time and time again to discuss these decisions with the powers that be in Queen’s Park, but have had little to no luck, for one reason in particular.
“It is such a shame that the powers at Queen’s Park won’t acknowledge us enough for a simple meeting,” said Iroquois Falls Mayor Gilles Forget. “They are trying their hardest to turn Northern Ontario into a park, and they are doing it without telling anyone.”
A lack of due process that has resulted in scrambles for answers from an unavailable cabinet and an even more closeted Premier.
“If they keep closing off services at this rate, we’ll have nothing left,” he said. “The absence of services like this will impact the industry up here, it is only a matter of time before that shuts down as well.”
After 36 years, 22,464 trips and roughly 4,043,520 passengers, The Northlander has become more than just a commuter train. It was an institution, a legacy; one that will be sorely missed by Northerners.
“People were on the train with tears in their eyes, reminiscing about this train,” said Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren. “There are so many memories associated with this train. Generations grew up with this train. This is more than just a discontinuation of a service.”
For the rest of this article, please go to the Timmins Daily Press website: http://www.timminspress.com/2012/09/28/end-of-the-line-for-northlander