{"id":87822,"date":"2026-11-07T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=87822"},"modified":"2026-11-07T07:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:53:09","slug":"proposed-algoma-passenger-train-would-be-canadas-only-train-serving-a-ski-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/07\/proposed-algoma-passenger-train-would-be-canadas-only-train-serving-a-ski-resort\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed Algoma passenger train would be Canada\u2019s only train serving a ski resort"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is inviting the public to a special presentation featuring Danny Zimny-Schmitt, Vice President of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association (ColoRail), a grassroots advocacy organization that played an important role in bringing back Colorado’s popular Winter Park Express ski train in 2017.<\/p>\n

Zimny-Schmitt will travel from Denver, Colorado, to share the story of how rail advocates helped restore the Winter Park Express, which had been discontinued approximately 10 years earlier. His presentation will offer valuable insights and inspiration for those working to bring passenger rail services back to Northern Ontario through the proposed Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban (Bear Train).<\/p>\n

The proposed Bear Train would travel from Sault Ste. Marie north to the south end of Oba Lake in Phase 1, with a planned stop at Searchmont Resort. If realized, the service would offer passengers a unique opportunity to travel by train directly to a ski resort \u2013 a feature that would distinguish the passenger train and Searchmont Resort from other experiences across Canada.<\/p>\n

“Danny’s experience is an inspiration to all of us advocating for the Bear Train,” says Al Errington, Chair of CAPT. “The success with Colorado\u2019s Winter Park Express demonstrates what can happen when communities and grassroots organizations work together to restore passenger rail service. The Bear Train could create a uniquely Canadian travel experience by connecting passengers directly to Searchmont Resort while improving access to beautiful Algoma.”<\/p>\n

The proposed rail connection also has the potential to provide significant benefits to Searchmont Resort, helping attract visitors while supporting tourism and year-round activities.<\/p>\n

According to Kim Burkhardt, General Manager of Searchmont Resort, “A passenger train that can be taken directly to Searchmont will be a big feature that will attract more people to our resort during ski season, as well as to events we plan to organize throughout the year.”<\/p>\n

The public meeting will provide an opportunity to learn from Colorado’s experience, explore the possibilities for the Bear Train, and hear how passenger rail can contribute to tourism, regional connectivity and economic development in Northern Ontario.<\/p>\n

Everyone is welcome to attend this free public meeting.<\/p>\n

When: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
\nWhere: Russ Ramsay Room, Sault Ste. Marie Civic Centre<\/p>\n

About CAPT:<\/strong>
\nThe Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is a grassroots organization advocating for the restoration of passenger train service on the Algoma Central Railway, and is also exploring potential for passenger rail service between Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay and Toronto.<\/em><\/p>\n

CAPT supports the Mask-wa Transportation Association Inc. (MTA Inc.) in its efforts to restore passenger rail service through the proposed Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban (Bear Train). The project envisions reconnecting northern communities and providing residents and visitors with greater access to transportation, enhanced transportation safety, especially in winter, tourism and recreational opportunities.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information about CAPT and its efforts to restore passenger rail service in Algoma, visit the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains website.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is inviting the public to a special presentation featuring Danny Zimny-Schmitt, Vice President of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association (ColoRail), a grassroots advocacy organization that played an important role in bringing back Colorado’s popular Winter Park Express ski train in 2017. Zimny-Schmitt will travel from Denver, Colorado, to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":87823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87824,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87822\/revisions\/87824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}