South River train station being renovated as passenger rail service ready to return
Work starts this week on the 1884 South River train station to prepare it for the resumption of passenger rail service sometime during 2026. Ontario Northland ended passenger service in 2012 under the former Ontario Liberal government.
However, South River lost its passenger service during the 1990s, and the train station has been closed ever since.
But the Ford government is following through with a commitment to re-introduce passenger service from Timmins to Toronto, and South River is one of the scheduled stops.
In fact, between North Bay and Huntsville, South River is the only scheduled stop.
Renovating the former train station is estimated to cost $414,000.
The Village of South River is contributing $58,000 as its share while, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation is on board for $178,000.
The village is expecting a separate government grant announcement to complete the funding.
The station never had a washroom and Don McArthur, the clerk administrator, says some of the money will be used to build one accessible washroom.
The building's doors and windows will all be replaced, the exterior wood will be removed to add insulation and then replaced with new wood, and the waiting area for passengers will be renovated to replicate what the station looked like during the 1880s.
The building will keep its yellow and green exterior look.
J.A.S. Services of South River will carry out the renovations, and Bertrand Wheeler Architecture of North Bay created the design work.
The local advisory committee the Historical Improvement and Preservation Society (HIPS) also provided input on the renovations.
McArthur says the renovations should be completed around October 31st.
However this will end only the first phase of the project.
The second component involves working with Ontario Northland to create a parking area for passengers plus landscaping, and this portion would likely begin in 2025.
When the station reopens to the public in 2026, visitors will get a bonus while waiting for the train.
When it closed during the 1990s, the station became a storage facility for many historical artifacts relevant to South River's history.
Those artifacts have been relocated so the renovations can begin.
But Bill O'Hallarn, the Village's Deputy Mayor and local historian, says the artifacts will come out of storage once the renovations are complete, and they will be exhibited to the public.
“Most of what we have are tools and equipment used in the rail industry”, O'Hallarn said.
“South River was once a huge train town and train depot. Back then it had a coal chute and water tower to feed the steam engines”.
In fact the coal chute still stands today not far from the train station.
The artifacts also include Morse Code units and lumber-related equipment like hand axes because at one time South River also had a logging industry.
Once they go on display, the pieces will have notes explaining what and how they were used.
O'Hallarn says the village has more than 200 artifacts and adds it won't be possible to have them all on display at one time.
Rather he expects the exhibits will be rotated periodically so that passengers see different displays.
In addition, old photographs of the village's early history are expected to be on display.
O'Hallarn says there is no shortage of historical images because many residents also have their own collections, and he expects they will be invited to loan the pictures to the village so they can be displayed at the train station.
Some of the residents also have the benches that were once in the waiting room of the old station, and O'Hallarn said there are indications “they might be willing to part with the benches, so they might come back”.
“We hope to put out a message to the community about this so that we can find a home for the benches,” he said.
The train station is about 80 feet long and 22 feet wide.
O'Hallarn said it would have been very easy to dismantle the station after it closed but added fortunately that never happened.
“I believe there was always some foresight and a plan for the building on why it wasn't taken down,” O'Hallarn said.
Both O'Hallarn and McArthur say once passenger service resumes, the village should experience economic spinoffs.
“We believe significant economic opportunities will be developed” McArthur said.
“The trains will provide an affordable reliable service, and they are all state-of-the-art. It will be a service people will want to take advantage of, and South River will certainly benefit from a high-quality service like that”.
McArthur says the passengers won't just be Almaguin area residents who need to get to Toronto for things like medical appointments or other reasons.
He says the region has numerous cycling trails and lakes plus Algonquin Park is only 20 minutes away.
It means people from Southern Ontario who enjoy the outdoors can put their bikes or camping gear on the train and not have to worry about driving and also rent canoes or kayaks from the outfitters.
O'Hallarn said he has friends who will be taking the train to baseball or hockey games in Toronto, “and they won't have the hassle of finding a place to park”.
With the word out that the train station is going to be renovated, O'Hallarn said people in the area are becoming “excited and looking forward to the opportunities”.
Rocco Frangione, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The North Bay Nugget
