The Ontario Northlander will return.

[54light15]

See this:

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/commuterregional/ontario-advances-northlander-service-revival/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=36713 

[Overmod]

Interesting that it appears -- I can't really make out the detail in the rendering -- that these will be PRIIA-spec cars with 'top and tail' Charger-style locomotives, rather than the sort of 'Airotrain' equipment Amtrak is placing a perhaps coincidentally large order for.  I can certainly understand wanting motive-power redundancy for service on a considerable portion of the restored route!

[D.Carleton]

It's push-pull with a cabcar. Basically a VIA set minus two coaches.

[SD70Dude]

This isn't the first time Ontario Northland has tried European-designed four car trainsets.

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=29540

Hopefully the Chargers handle the northern Ontario winters better than their Dutch predecessors. 

Also, from reading the fine print I see the paint scheme hasn't been finalized yet.  Would be pretty cool if the "further planning and consultation" led to a heritage scheme for at least one of the sets. 

[Ulrich]

Projected ridership from 40 to 60 thousand per year by 2041. By way of comparison, GO Transit annual ridership is currently 13 million and VIA comes in at around 1.1 million. 

Not sure why this service can't be rolled into VIA. As VIA's new Chargers come in the older displaced locomotives.. the P42s and the F40PH-3s and rolling stock could be deployed on this run on a trial basis. Ontario has one of the largest subnational jursidictional debts in the world, and its growing fast...more reason to start this service off with good used equipment, and let it grow from there. 

[D.Carleton]

Ulrich

As VIA's new Chargers come in the older displaced locomotives.. the P42s and the F40PH-3s and rolling stock could be deployed on this run on a trial basis. Ontario has one of the largest subnational jursidictional debts in the world, and its growing fast...more reason to start this service off with good used equipment, and let it grow from there.

You've touched upon the rather peculiar era we find ourselves in. Typically a large operation obtains new stock and regional outfits cherrypick over the leftovers. Now everybody and their brother have been given the highball buy new and go large. Two national operators, various state operators, a private operator and now a provincial operator are buying the same equipment with more waiting in the weeds. Very, very strange. Let's hope Siemens is up to the task.