New details about the proposed hovercraft ferry service between downtown Toronto and the Niagara Region have emerged.
As we recently reported, Hoverlink Ontario has already secured a space to develop a docking site at the Port Weller Terminal in St. Catharines (near tons of tourist attractions and public amenities), and the company recently signed a 30-year deal with Ports Toronto that will allow vessels to be docked on a brand-new landing pad connected to Billy Bishop.
The high-speed, biodiesel-powered hovercraft ferry service is meant to be a super convenient and fast new way for people to travel! Instead of a 2-hour drive or train trip, residents can travel between these two top tourist destinations within 30 minutes by hovercraft. Each craft can carry up to 180 passengers and serve up to 3 million passengers a year.
At a Toronto Region Board of Trade event on Wednesday, officials from Hoverlink Ontario further explained how the service will ease traffic congestion. For example, with the service running at full capacity, it could reduce traffic on the QEW by the equivalent of 8,000 cars per day, potentially revitalizing the Golden Horseshoe’s tourism industry.
At the event, Chris Morgan, founder and CEO of Hoverlink, said that the development is “the beginning of a new era of rapid transit,” adding that the service isn’t just a rapid transportation project, but an economic development catalyst or a tourism accelerator.
“Hoverlink would allow Torontonians to quickly visit the wineries and the beautiful hinterland of Niagara-on-the-Lake, or unleash new possibilities for regional tourism, employment, and housing between Toronto and St. Catharines,” Morgan said at the event.
The hovercrafts can float nearly 2 metres over land, water and ice, producing a large volume of air below the hull of the vessel to create a sort of air cushion. Fans and propellers will also help push the crafts forward.
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In an interview with CTV News on Wednesday, Erika Potrz, the president of Hoverlink Ontario, noted that there are plans for Hoverlink-operated shuttle buses to make stops at Fallsview Hilton, Downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort George and Niagara College, with possible partnerships with regional shuttle providers and even ticket bundle options with local attractions!
“We will invite some of our key partners to have their shuttle buses come and pick up folks,” she told CTV. “We are looking at how do we package up tickets with entities in Niagara Region, as well as in Toronto, to encourage and ensure that all of our businesses win.”
The company plans to start with around 24 return trips per day (48 lake crossings per day), with service running 365 days a year for up to 18 hours per day.
As of publication, we don’t know the official launch date, and there is no official pricing, but Hoverlink says it’ll be comparable to existing public transit options operating between Toronto and Niagara (again, just with faster transit times).
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