Ontario’s soon-to-be Toronto-to-Muskoka train was just spotted on the tracks! The Northlander, i.e., the legendary passenger rail service that’s been paused for more than a decade, is back on the move. The blue and yellow train was spotted pulling into Ontario Northland Train Station in North Bay last week after passing through towns such as Washago and Gravenhurst, apparently in another test run. The train will be running along the full corridor to test for safety and performance standards.
Premier Doug Ford posted about the Northlander on social media, noting, “If you’re travelling between Toronto and Timmins in the next few months, keep an eye out as all three trainsets undergo rigorous testing ahead of a return to service later this year.”
This isn’t the first time the Northlander has been tested out on the tracks ahead of a planned 2026 return to service. In January, in a video uploaded by Ontario Rails, a brand-new Northlander trainset was seen arriving at CN’s Aldershot Yard in Burlington, before continuing to VIA Rail’s Maintenance Centre in Etobicoke.
The original Northlander once connected Toronto with Northeast communities, running as far as Cochrane and Timmins. After it was discontinued in 2012, many Ontarians lamented the loss of what was both a vital transportation link and a nostalgic part of travelling to cottage country. With the provincial government’s commitment to reinstate the service, that nostalgia is shifting quickly toward reality!
“I’d happily leave a vehicle up there and take the train to the cottage,” one user wrote in a Reddit thread about the upcoming service. “The horrid drive really affects my mental health.”
The revamped Northlander route is set to run from Toronto’s Union Station northward, through Muskoka towns like Huntsville, Bracebridge, and Gravenhurst, before continuing to North Bay and South River and ultimately reaching Timmins, with a rail connection to Cochrane. In total, 16 stops are planned.
The new trainsets will have major upgrades and modern amenities, including accessible onboard seating, Wi-Fi, and energy-efficient designs, making them far more comfortable than the old Northlander. Meanwhile, infrastructure upgrades like the North Bay Rail Bypass (completed in fall 2025) will help improve travel times and reliability when the service launches. Passenger shelters will be modernized too, with real-time train arrival updates, tons of ample lighting, reliable heating and CCTV security cameras.
We’re still waiting on an official launch date and ticket prices, but by 2041, the Northlander’s annual ridership is estimated to be between approximately 40,000 and 60,000. If progress continues, the Northlander is expected to return to full operation sometime in 2026, potentially by mid-year.
