Coalition For Algoma Passenger Trains Co-Chair Al Errington and Board Member Linda Savoury-Gordon talk about their update on the ACR Passenger Rail Service and what is going on with the coalition prior to its meeting at City Hall on Wednesday night.

The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains had a meeting at City Hall on Wednesday night. Between 50 and 60 people crammed the Plummer Room to learn about the latest about the ACR Passenger Rail Service, among other things. Al Errington is one of the coalition’s co-chairs. While he is encouraged by three operators expressing interest in operating the service, he and his business experienced quite a loss for 2015 once the train’s operations slowed in mid-June…

Errington’s clientele is the 50 to 90 year old age group. He lost one client because of mobility issues — which the train makes easier for senior customers. Others in attendance expressed their own situations. One person talked about one family from the U-S that was unable to go up to camp this summer. That’s because there was no train after one man spent 36 hundred dollars for building supplies for the camp and on the train to get there. The family remained in Sault Ste. Marie instead. The meeting began with ‘Song Of The ACR’ from musicians Forrest Hinich and Mister Tahti. The two are familiar with the passenger rail service, with Hinich’s family ‘living’ up at Mile 44 1/2. Hinich’s father wrote the song after riding the train for 45 years. Five generations of Tahti’s family have ridden the train. The family — originally from Finland — used to operate a logging camp at Mile 120. Coalition board member Linda Savoury-Gordon says she is confident the group will be able to put on a number of events in 2016 that were cancelled this year…in particular, the Group of Seven Rail Event…

The Searchmont Express will instead take place during the March break with a different theme. Also planned is the ‘Journey on the Iron Horse’. This is a new Indigenous train event organized in partnership with the Missanabie Cree First Nation. One of the topics discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains involves a continuation of the passenger service through December. The service would run on a very light schedule with two runs a week to the end of this month before being reduced to one run a week to the end of December. This would be done in the hopes of more runs starting in January, when a new third party operator should be chosen by then. Errington says this is what most people that depend on the passenger service want — in order to winterize prior to any freeze-up…

Most of the 50 to 60 people in attendance expressed frustration with Transport Canada. It was announced by Errington that CN may lay off its crews after the Agawa Canyon Tour Train ends its service for the season on October 12th. This even though there is money to pay workers for the rail service operating from April to mid-June before RailMark took over. One woman suggested that Transport Canada is doing nothing so it can ‘wash its hands’ of the ACR passenger rail situation.