Coral Rapids, Ontario
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The ''Polar Bear Express'' is a Canadian passenger train operated by the
Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency (Ontario), provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming ...
in
Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...
. Service was introduced in 1964. While designated as a passenger train, the Polar Bear Express also carries freight and is equipped with specialized equipment including
boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...
s for canoes, snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles. There are also baggage and express cars. In the past a special car existed for canoes but now these are carried in regular boxcars. This train service is the only
Motorail A motorail train or accompanied car train (ACT) is a passenger train on which passengers can take their car or automobile along with them on their journey. Passengers are carried in normal passenger carriages or in sleeping carriages on longer ...
service currently in Canada, with chaincars (flat cars with tie downs) for carrying cars and light trucks. There are no roads to
Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...
, so vehicles come in and out by train. It operates five days per week year-round and connects Cochrane with
Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...
. During the summer months there is an additional train on Sundays and the train often includes a full-length
dome car A dome car is a type of railway Passenger car (rail), passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a Coach (rail), coach, lounge c ...
. Prior to 2012, the train carried a full dining car during the summer.


Scheduled stops

Tickets for the passenger service are sold by phone or at offices in Cochrane, Moosonee,
Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River (Ontario), Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English language ...
and
Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...
. The train will stop on demand in some locations as part of the flag stop service. The town of Cochrane recommends taking the train to
Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...
for a "great rail excursion" in summer, to view the "hydroelectric dams, isolated homes and perhaps even some wildlife." The ''Polar Bear Express'' service was expanded on June 5, 2007, after increased funding from the Government of Ontario to ONR was announced in March 2007. It resulted in the discontinuation of the ' mixed freight-passenger service which had operated three days per week, year-round, resulting in dedicated separate freight and passenger rail service to Moosonee.


Operations

In summer 2008, track conditions resulted the train running very late much of the time (2.5 hours by railway announcement). By late 2008, running times had improved somewhat and timings of five and a half to six hours for the - all distances are shown in miles along the tracks - trip were becoming typical. Service deteriorated significantly in 2009 mainly due to bad track conditions and mechanical failures — on one occasion the train, scheduled to arrive in Cochrane at 9:42 in the evening did not arrive until 4:00 in the morning. Before the 2007 service expansion, the ''Polar Bear Express'' operated six days per week during the summer months. It leaves Cochrane in the morning, stays in Moosonee for a few hours, and returns to Cochrane in the evening. It was primarily used by
tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
, although it was used by an increasing number of local residents. The name of the train is misleading — polar bears are rarely seen anywhere near Moosonee, although there are some extremely rare exceptions. The Polar Bear Express today mostly services the residents of Moosonee and
Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River (Ontario), Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English language ...
when they travel south from their communities that lack road connections to the rest of Ontario. During the winter, many passengers are from communities further north who travel to Moosonee by
winter road A winter road is a seasonal road only usable during the winter, i.e. it has to be re-built every year. This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of flo ...
before taking the train, due to the high cost of vehicle transport. The motorail service is important to those living in the northern communities inaccessible by regular roads. Prior to 2012 the summer train included special programs for children and an entertainment car.


Gallery

Image:Polar bear express train.jpg, Polar Bear Express train Image:Polar Bear Express.jpg, Moosonee rail station with Polar Bear Express train Image:Kanada Zug.jpg, Dining (snack) car no longer in use Image:S IMG 3730.jpg, Full length dome car Otter Rapids Image:PbxdinerS OO0P7214.jpg, Dining car on Polar Bear Express - no longer carried Image:PlayareaS OO0P7169.jpg, Children's play area - no longer carried


See also

* ''
Northlander The ''Northlander'' was a passenger train operated by the provincially-owned Ontario Northland Railway in southern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. In 2012, rail service was discontinued and replaced with express bus service. Rail service will ...
''


References


External links


Official Website
{{ONT named trains Ontario Northland Railway Named passenger trains of Ontario Transport in Cochrane, Ontario Railway services introduced in 1964 1964 establishments in Ontario