A sorely missed daily VIA Rail route that moved commuters between London and Toronto in the mornings and evenings is likely to make its return come the fall.
VIA Rail's Chief Customer Officer Rita Toporowski announced Tuesday plans are in the works to get trains 82 and 83 back in service.
"We are currently in talks with our infrastructure partners to obtain their approval [to resume service]," said Toporowski.
VIA operates its trains on tracks owned by CN Rail and Metrolinx.
"Nothing is ever a sure thing, but I am optimistic that we have the right timing, the right situation, and the right selling features to say that this is the right time to bring it back," said Toporowski. "What we were planning on is probably sometime in October, but we don't have a definitive date."
Train 82 leaves London early in the morning, getting passengers to Union Station in Toronto by 9 a.m. Train 83 leaves Toronto late in the afternoon to get passengers back to London early in the evening. It was scrapped during the pandemic as a cost-cutting measure as VIA dealt with low ridership.
Demand from the community to resume the daily services has grown over the past number of months. An online petition was even created to have the route reinstated.
"This is something that the community has called for for a longtime," said London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos. "London has a thriving post secondary environment with a great college and great university. A lot of those students do come from the Greater Toronto Area and in the past the students came with the train. So ensuring that continues is crucial."
Fragiskatos and Toporowski were at the London VIA Rail station Tuesday to announce the last two phases of a $25 million upgrade to the York Street facility. The first two phases, which began in 2019 and were completed last year, saw civic and structural upgrades and external architectural work to the station facade.
Phase III will see the passenger platform replaced to bring it up to the latest accessibility standards. Phase IV includes significant interior and base building services refurbishments.
"When these renovations are completed in 2025, the London station will be more comfortable, more efficient, and more accessible," said Toporowski.
The federal government earmarked up to $212 million in the 2022 budget for VIA Rail to upgrade and maintain stations throughout the Quebec - Windsor corridor.
