Windsor part of proposed Toronto-Chicago passenger train route
Published Nov 10, 2023
Windsor will be at the centre of a new cross-border passenger rail line connecting Toronto and Chicago.
According to VIA Rail Canada and Amtrak, the route will have stops in Windsor and Detroit and the plan will see roughly $44 million invested in rail infrastructure and station improvements in Windsor.
“It’s certainly exciting to see this move forward on both sides of the border,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told the Star.
“It’s great to create another mode of transportation through Detroit and the United States and Canada.”
After departing Michigan Central Station, trains would continue into Windsor via the Detroit River Rail Tunnel, then follow an Essex Terminal Railway section to VIA Rail’s tracks using a new connection route.
In Windsor, improvements will be made to the Essex Terminal Railway right-of-way, including grade crossing upgrades at nine locations. A new track connection will be added between the Essex Terminal Railway and VIA Rail lines, and modifications to the existing station tracks and platform will allow the seamless integration of Amtrak and VIA Rail passenger train operations.
A new joint border security facility for both Canada Border Service Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection screening will be built, likely at Windsor’s existing train station.
Once funded, the route could be up and running by late 2027 with one daily round-trip. Cross-border passengers will be able to utilize both Amtrak and VIA Rail services on a single ticket.
A projected 66,500 passengers could ride the new cross-border connection each year, with 14,000 starting or finishing their trips in Windsor.
From Chicago, passengers can access Amtrak’s national network with connecting services to 35 states, the partnership said.
“For Americans coming here, once you get to Toronto, you can take VIA all the way to Vancouver. It’s exciting,” said Dilkens.
The proposed schedule would see a three-hour layover at Windsor’s train station, a short walk from Walkerville and its host of shops and eateries.
“(Passengers) could leave your luggage (at the train station), go down into Walkerville and check out some of the history and have a drink while they’re waiting,” said Dilkens.
“There’s some interesting tourism opportunities that are presented here.”
https://windsorstar.com/news/local-n...er-train-route
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