The head of VIA Rail Canada says a project to link VIA Rail trains with Amtrak services in the U.S. between Chicago and Toronto is happening, but it is taking time.
Speaking Thursday in Windsor, Mario Péloquin, VIA Rail's President and Chief Executive Officer, says they're working closely with Amtrak as well as border services in both countries.
"It is happening; there is a plan; there's funding; it is moving forward," he says. "It takes a bit of time because there's some work to do to make the Windsor station a border station. But the plans are in place, and you will start seeing some Amtrak trains coming here and interchanging with our trains, probably in the next year or two.
The estimated $44 million plan would take rail passengers from Chicago to Toronto, with stops in Detroit and Windsor.
Péloquin says that similar to an airport, when an Amtrak train comes into Canada now, the passengers have to clear customs first.
"We have a train coming from Seattle, for example, to Vancouver. There's a secure area where the train pulls into the station; it is a border. You can't just walk around like we do now until they clear customs," he says.
Péloquin says it will take a few million dollars to add a customs facility at the Windsor Train Station.
"The funding is not completely decided because we have to do some design work, but it's a significant investment," he says.
VIA Rail and Amtrak have projected that 66,500 passengers would use the service each year, with 14,000 passengers beginning or ending their trip in Windsor.