Rail advocate supports proposed Toronto-Chicago passenger rail link

A proposed passenger rail link from Toronto to Chicago will help meet a need in Southwestern Ontario, one rail advocate says.

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Chatham-Kent council recently endorsed the Amtrak-Via Rail Toronto-Windsor-Detroit-Chicago intercity passenger rail connection plan.

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The move, recommended by municipal staff, came after Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens asked Chatham-Kent to voice its support to the provincial and federal governments.

According to a staff report, Amtrak, the United States’ national passenger rail company, had identified the lack of rail service linking the Chicago-Detroit and Windsor-Toronto corridors as a concern.

Transport Action Canada president Terry Johnson, of Chatham, welcomed the possible service expansion.

“I’m really hoping this proposal continues to be developed. . . (and) comes to fruition quite quickly,” he said.

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Transport Action Canada is a citizen transportation advocacy group, representing users of public transport services.

Its priorities include development of passenger rail in Canada, the future of inter-city bus services and their connectivity to rail and air services, and commuter transit systems.

Amtrak conducted a route review and presented a recommended strategy to stakeholders, including municipal staff, at a March meeting. The strategy focuses primarily on the gap between passenger rail lines on both sides of the Detroit River.

Key elements of the plan include:

• Existing rail lines, including the Detroit River rail tunnel, will provide a route for passenger traffic from Detroit to Windsor. In some spots, railway upgrades will be required to separate passenger and freight traffic.
• In Detroit, a new Amtrak station will be built at the Michigan Central Innovation District
• In Windsor, the existing Via station will be expanded to house a joint Canada Border Services Agency and US Customs and Border Protection control facility.

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For efficiency reasons, Johnson said he’d rather see the border post at Michigan Central rather than in Windsor.

“Your path from the tunnel to the station where you do customs clearance is really short,” he said. “Whereas If you come all the way through the tunnel, all the way through Windsor. . . you’ve actually got a very long path this side of the border.

“(Also) I imagine there are more Canadians going to Detroit, than there are Americans coming to Windsor,” he added.

An Amtrak fact sheet projected 66,500 passengers a year would use the new cross-border connection.

Preliminary project design is complete, with the railways seeking Canadian federal government funding in June for the remaining phases, staff’s report to council said. Funding permitting, they expect to complete final design and construction in time for a late 2027 start date.

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“It would be nice” if the improved cross-border service were in place for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by 16 Canadian, Mexican and US cities, but that “might be too much to hope for,” Johnson said.

One round trip a day is expected when the service launches, but Amtrak indicates there will be opportunities to boost frequency in future.

“With the proposed changes, Via Rail riders from Chatham-Kent will be able to transfer to an Amtrak train in Windsor and continue their journey along the Chicago-Detroit corridor or make transfers to reach other destinations on the Amtrak network,” the staff report said.

“The service would provide a more seamless transportation option for residents within Chatham-Kent.”

As for rail service in general within the region, Johnson said his organization is awaiting Transport Canada’s release of a capacity study for Southwestern Ontario.

“They’re looking at increasing services to Windsor and Sarnia. . . that may also have an impact on us,” he said. “Certainly if there are more frequencies, (there is) the potential you have to wait less time at the border as well, which is good.”

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