Amtrak planning new train route between Toronto and Detroit

Torontonians could soon have more options for getting to the US by train thanks to a new plan from Amtrak to add a Toronto to Detroit line.

The American passenger rail service released its 2035 vision this month which lays out plans for the new Toronto-Detroit connection, as well as a new line from Montreal to St Albans, Vermont.

Currently, Amtrak has limited train lines coming into Canada. The only options for Canadian riders are to go from Toronto or Montreal into New York, and from Vancouver to Seattle.

Amtrak

The proposed Toronto to Detroit line, which has been discussed since 2019, would not only give riders an option to visit the Motor City, but it would also provide access to an already existing train route from Detroit to Chicago that Amtrak is planning to enhance, according to the 2035 Vision.

A new line from Buffalo to Cleveland and an enhanced line from Buffalo to New York City are also part of the plan, meaning a short trip across the border to the Buffalo station could give train riders even more travel options in the future.

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Amtrak has said that enhanced federal funding would be required to implement the planned routes. And just last week, President Joe Biden committed $80 billion of his $2 trillion infrastructure plan to addressing Amtrak’s repair backlog, modernizing the Northeast Corridor, and improving existing corridors and connecting new cities.

The budget plan will first have to pass through the US Congress before it can be officially approved.

Although the proposed rail lines — if they receive funding — won’t be built in the immediate future, it still gives us new travel options to day dream about for when travelling is an option again.