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Rail Travel in Pelham Not a New Concept

GO Train service to the Niagara Region is likely to commence operation in the next few years. But the concept of a railway line linking Niagara to Toronto actually existed more than a century ago.

GO Train service to the Niagara Region is likely to commence operation in the next few years. But the concept of a railway line linking Niagara to Toronto actually existed more than a century ago.

Incorporated in 1884, the Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo Railway (TH&B), was a 104-mile line, used to service the area known today as the Golden Horseshoe. The main purpose for the TH&B railway was to link Buffalo, New York - across the International Bridge - to Hamilton and Toronto.

This provided Canadian businesses with the opportunity to move their products to American customers, and vice versa. The railway line also moved passengers, giving residents a more efficient mode of transportation.

The TH&B railway from Buffalo to Toronto made stops in many places, including the Fenwick station. It served as a stop for shipping and freight, and as a passenger station. Most of the freight shipped out came from nurseries and the canning factory in Fonthill.

Due to decreasing profits, the station shut down in 1966.

After the closure, passenger trains continued to stop at Fenwick on a flag signal.

According to Niagara Rails, there was also a spur in Ridgeville, which was used for shipping products, including stone and gravel, nursery stock, lumber, cement, livestock and produce grown by local farmers in the area. There were only two passenger travels recorded.

The approx. 4.01-mile track was originally built to reach Dominion Construction Company gravel pit but it ending up serving other companies, such as, Brown Brother’s Nursery; Morris, Stone & Wellington Nursery; Pelham Canning Company; Lindsay Lumber Company; Goodwillie & Page; Ridgeville Cement Company; as well as local farmers who shipped produce.

There was much consideration to extend the line to St. Catharines but it was never followed through.

Although the Ridgeville spur was only supposed to be temporary, it lasted 40 years. Due to lack of action and the TH&B not being able to afford to keep the line open, it officially closed in 1936.

For the past six years, GO transit has had a seasonal train system for Niagara residents occurring on a weekend in October and May, as well as Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between the first weekends of July and September.

Train rides are a little over two hours with stops in St. Catharines, Burlington, Oakville, Port Credit and Exhibition Place in Toronto.

The region is attempting to bring daily, year round GO Trains to the Niagara Region. It was also specifically mentioned in Ontario’s 2016 budget.

Niagara has invested $40 million into this project, which they say will cost at least $100 million.  Many obstacles must be overcome, but proponents hope to have a fully functioning system by 2017.

Author: Jessica Hendriks, Student Writer and columnist for Voice of Pelham