High-Performance Rail in Southwestern Ontario

High-Performance Rail in Southwestern Ontario
Improved passenger rail has long been a Chamber priority. Mayor Josh Morgan is now leading a regional coalition seeking practical improvements across Southwestern Ontario - July 2026

A Longstanding Chamber Priority
Improved passenger rail service has been a high priority for the London Chamber of Commerce for many years. Faster, more reliable connections are central to London’s ability to attract investment, recruit and retain senior talent, connect employers with a wider labour market, and strengthen the city’s position within the Southwestern Ontario economy.

The Chamber strongly supports the regional high-performance rail initiative led by Mayor Josh Morgan and the City of London. Mayor Morgan recently convened mayors and wardens from across the region, municipal government-relations staff, chambers of commerce, post-secondary institutions, tourism and economic development organisations, transportation advocates, and representatives of VIA Rail. The meeting was the latest step in a coordinated campaign for improved passenger rail service. Participants connected better rail to business investment, workforce mobility, executive recruitment, tourism, student travel, research collabouration, highway congestion, road safety, and the ability of Southwestern Ontario communities to operate as a more integrated economic area.

The State of Play
The coalition is using the term high-performance rail. It is deliberately avoiding high-speed rail, since the federal Alto initiative is presently focused east of Toronto, and high-frequency rail, which can imply simply adding more trains without addressing travel time and reliability.

High-performance rail means practical improvements to existing corridors so that passenger trains can operate more quickly, consistently, and frequently. The proposal is intended to produce nearer-term gains using existing rail infrastructure rather than waiting for a new purpose-built high-speed corridor.

The regional advocacy position developed through the City-led coalition has been organised around three connected priorities: advancing the Windsor-Detroit international passenger rail connection; upgrading the Toronto-Windsor southern corridor for high-performance rail; and developing an integrated Southwestern Ontario mobility network linking the northern and southern rail corridors with local transit and intercity bus services.

Windsor-Detroit: An Early Opportunity
The proposed Windsor-Detroit connection was presented as the most immediate and achievable component of the initiative. It would close the approximately nine-mile gap between VIA Rail service through Southwestern Ontario and Amtrak's Wolverine service through Detroit to Chicago. The existing rail tunnel and much of the required track infrastructure are already in place.

Following the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger, United States rail authorities secured passenger operating rights through the existing Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel. This avoided the need for a new crossing and created a practical route for Amtrak service to Windsor. Passengers travelling from Canada would be precleared at Windsor's Walkerville station before continuing through Detroit and into the broader Amtrak network.

The estimated Canadian investment is approximately $47.1 million. The funding would principally support a joint Canada-United States border inspection and preclearance facility, improvements to the existing Windsor station, and related track and safety work. Michigan has committed funding for its portion of the project, including the transportation hub associated with restoring passenger service to Michigan Central Station.

A binational working group is already addressing preliminary engineering, design, operating arrangements, land requirements, and other implementation issues. The Canadian funding decision is therefore viewed as the remaining major commitment needed to unlock the service. The technical presentation indicated that, if funding is approved in the next federal budget, service could begin as early as 2029.

Improving the Toronto-Windsor Corridor
The cross-border project is being treated as an early win that could build momentum for broader improvements between Toronto and Windsor. The coalition is seeking upgrades to existing track, signals, stations, and operating infrastructure, together with longer sidings and additional track capacity where required.

Current operating arrangements frequently require VIA trains to pull aside for freight traffic. Participants argued that infrastructure investment alone will not produce reliable passenger service unless operating rules and agreements are also improved. The advocacy position therefore includes a better legislative and operating balance between passenger and freight rail, while recognising the continuing economic importance of freight movement.

Participants also called for the federal government to release a passenger rail study commissioned from CPCS and completed in 2023. The study is believed to contain detailed recommendations and cost estimates for improving service along existing Southwestern Ontario corridors. The City of London and Transport Action Ontario are both seeking access to the report.

An Integrated Southwestern Ontario Network
The meeting acknowledged that a successful regional transportation system cannot be limited to communities located directly on the Toronto-Windsor southern corridor. The broader proposal includes improved service on the northern corridor through London, Stratford, Kitchener, and Toronto, stronger station and transit-hub connections, and new intercity bus links between communities that are not directly connected by rail.

The north-south gap between communities such as Brantford, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Guelph was identified as a particular weakness. A direct Brantford-Cambridge bus connection was discussed as one example of a service that could connect the southern rail corridor with the future Waterloo Region LRT extension.

Transportation advocates also identified the London-Stratford-Kitchener line as an underused asset. They suggested that relatively modest investments could improve operating speeds and restore a more useful connection between London, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Toronto. One estimate presented at the meeting suggested that approximately $25 million could increase speeds on portions of that corridor from about 30 to 60 miles per hour, although this figure will require validation through the underlying studies.

The Economic Case for London
The Chamber emphasised the direct relationship between rail connectivity and London's ability to attract investment, recruit senior talent, and retain significant business operations. Several large London employers with national operations regularly move employees and executives between London and Toronto.

These employers maintain substantial workforces and manage important business functions from London. Current travel times can complicate the recruitment of executives and specialised employees whose spouses, professional networks, or other commitments remain in Toronto. They also make it harder for Toronto-based executives to assume responsibility for London operations when each visit consumes most of a working day.

More reliable and faster service would allow people to build a life in London or neighbouring communities while remaining connected to Canada's largest business centre. It would strengthen the case for locating senior management, specialised functions, and future investment in Southwestern Ontario. Without better connectivity, there is an ongoing risk that important functions will be consolidated in Toronto even where London has the workforce, institutions, and operating advantages to support them.

The Chamber's intervention linked the proposal to implementation of London's economic development strategy, the future of the downtown, and the region's ability to attract and retain high-value employment.

Regional Support
Municipal leaders from Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Oxford County, Stratford, Brantford, Elgin County, Chatham-Kent, Essex County, Guelph, and other communities expressed support. Their comments focused on manufacturing and workforce needs, access to post-secondary institutions, tourism, agricultural land protection, reduced dependence on Highway 401, and alternatives for communities that have lost or experienced reductions in air service.

Post-secondary representatives emphasised student and employee mobility, applied research collabouration, and the skilled workforce required to build, operate, and maintain transportation infrastructure. Colleges Ontario and Fanshawe College offered support for the advocacy effort and indicated that they could assist at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference.

Tourism and economic development organisations emphasised the opportunity to strengthen Toronto-Windsor-Detroit-Chicago travel and to position Southwestern Ontario as part of a larger binational economic and tourism corridor. Agricultural representatives supported using existing transportation corridors to avoid unnecessary loss or fragmentation of productive farmland.

Government Relations and Next Steps
Mayor Morgan and the City of London have led the regional advocacy effort with federal and provincial representatives. London MPs have expressed interest in improvements along existing corridors, and provincial officials have indicated general support while directing the principal funding request to the federal government. Participants nevertheless stressed that Ontario must be an active partner because of its responsibilities for regional transit, connecting bus service, stations, and broader transportation planning.

The immediate advocacy window is the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa from 15 to 19 August, followed by the federal budget process. Mayor Morgan and the municipal coalition are seeking meetings with federal ministers and Ontario's Minister of Transportation. Participating organisations have been asked to submit letters of support by 10 August so that they can be included in the municipal delegation package.

The City is also preparing a possible joint public statement bringing together municipal, business, education, tourism, and transportation organisations. Further meetings with ministers may be pursued after the AMO conference and before the federal budget decision.

Improved passenger rail will remain a high priority for the Chamber. The Chamber will provide a letter of support, continue to contribute the business and talent-attraction case, and remain engaged in the City-led regional coalition as the advocacy campaign develops.