November 4, 2025

IS IT TOO LATE TO SAVE HERITAGE ‘TRAIN STATION’ IN GRAVENHURST WITH NORTHLANDER’S RETURN THE CATALYST FOR TOWN TRANSPORTATION HUB? BOB BARNES THINKS NOT

GRAVENHURST — A small but growing citizen opposition to Northland’s plans to bypass the historic “Train Station” — when or if — the rail service returns is gaining track-tion.

But is it too little too late? Or could these residents be the little train group that could?

The small group — nowhere yet near enough to fill even one train car — is mounting a well-intentioned protest to better use the heritage landmark as a Northlander hop on/hop off stop.

Northland says it is instead building a small glass “kiosk” across Brock Street in vacant lands with auto access off Centennial Drive, which is next to the YIG grocery store.

“The shelters will provide passengers with a safe, accessible space to wait for the train,” Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) officials said in an information package.

They say they will create a new train stop in Gravenhurst north of the Train Station where once there was a freight shipping depot and track siding long before another siding track was recently removed only a few years ago.

Bob Barnes thinks that plan’s plain crazy.

He’s not alone. A sample poll around town shows others widely agree.

**Should this Northland kiosk, above, replace this one blow in Gravenhurst? Let us know. PHOTOS ONTC and Robert Barnes**

Barnes agrees with long-held widespread resident beliefs that the Train Station should again be the transportation hub that any renewal of the town is missing.

If anything less Barnes believes the kiosk could sit nicely in the grassy area in front of the Train Station.

Once the Northlander did stop there, as did Northland buses — and there’s already one cab company operating out of the middle of three buildings that still comprise the Town of Gravenhurst’s vacant station.

But despite the town’s efforts to find a new tenant for the north end of the building (there’s another retail space also occupying one third) it sits empty.

Barnes and Co. would sooner cut bait with the current bus stop and tackle a new depot next to Gull Lake.

Meanwhile, Ontario Northland — which runs both the buses and possibly the train as a soon as next year — is working on building a new independent shelter with an unstaffed satellite ticket wicket to purchase tickets.

Perhaps if it is build and the train is either delayed by the province — or doesn’t arrive in time — it could serve as a temporary homeless shelter and briefly serve to solve the housing crisis.

There are to be 11 stops for the Northlander train again destined for Toronto. Other planned stops from the north down are in Temagami, Matheson, Swastika, South River, Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Washago.

Three of them reportedly owned by Northland Transport are in Englehart, Cochrane and North Bay where their headquarters are to be re-furbished for re-use.

And one is currently under construction in Bracebridge on the site of its former train station not too many years ago torn down. (Gravenhurst it seems is lately second class or steerage in Muskoka.)

Barnes says: “I suggest they could simply install the ticket machine outside the existing Train Station.

“I point out the advantages to Northland Transport of using the station and saving the construction cost of building a kiosk and new platform and running power and communication cables to it. The existing station already has electric service and recently refurbished accessible washrooms, paint job and a new roof.”

Sounds like maybe the town should run the train station with its own staff.

**The train station is a Gravenhurst Heritage building that would be a more appropriate location inside or outside according to Barnes. PHOTO Mark Clairmont MuskokaTODAY.com**

Barnes goes on ….

“Consider also — from a Gravenhurst perspective — that the existing Train Station is a Gravenhurst Heritage building with the associated responsibility for its maintenance and suitable heritage function.

“As Northland is no doubt concerned about the cost of maintaining the existing station building vs. a glass kiosk, I suggested that the town could discuss with Northland Transport that the town could continue to provide these services and insurance, etc as they presently do as a Heritage building – and will have to continue to do so even if Northland Transportation does not occupy the station.”

On the same track, he continues: “We must acknowledge that any renter would find the food kiosk inside the station unviable without the traffic from the train stopping at the station as we saw when the Northlander’s Gravenhurst bus stop was relocated away from the station; the renter went out of business immediately. The renter was viable when the train or bus stop was at the station. As we have seen for the last 10 years, it is very difficult to attract a new renter when there is no business traffic at the station.”

According to a Northland release: The shelters will provide passengers with a “safe, accessible space to wait for the train,” Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) officials said in an information package.

“The shelters will be equipped with ample lighting, real-time train arrival updates, CCTV security cameras, and Wi-Fi access, offering a consistent, modern experience for passengers travelling along the corridor.” — ONTC

“These shelters will complement three existing stations in Englehart, North Bay, and Cochrane, which are currently undergoing accessibility upgrades and platform improvements to prepare for the return of passenger service.”

Officials are hoping to relaunch the passenger rail service by next year, more than a decade and a half after the original Northlander was cancelled as a provincial government cost-cutting measure in 2012. The current provincial government announced a $75 million investment to bring back the Northlander in 2022 and has already contracted new trains and infrastructure upgrades.

Work is also reportedly underway to upgrade the Northern terminal station in Timmins.

For Barnes, he’s had little satisfaction recruiting town leaders to his cause, including the mayor and deputy mayor Heidi Lorenz and Randy Jorgensen who appear on track with Northland.

Barnes believes they and town staff had to have been previously aware of Northland’s plans and seem fine by them as he says he’s never heard of any opposition by them that would have prevented his 11^th hour protests.

Both he and MuskokaTODAY.com have reached out to Northland and their CEO Chad Evans without satisfactory responses to these public concerns.

Despite what Barnes calls a lack of transparency, he says he will keep on track with his money-saving objections and community building optimism that a more suitable resolution can achieved before he hears that Northlander Train a comin’.