Friday was the last day the Ontario Northland Bus stopped at two historic northern rail stations in Black River- Matheson and Englehart, Ontario.
The following day passengers were treated to new bus stops in those two communities.
ONR has stated that it wants to improve efficiencies by not having to stop in town centres.
At one time, those train stations served as the connector between the ONR’s rail and bus services.
Since ONR ended its passenger rail in September 2013 the ONR bus had nothing to connect to, however it offered some conveniences to its passengers.
It also kept alive stations that have significant historical meaning.
Since the stations no longer serve any useful purpose for ONR, their futures are now in doubt.
The Black River-Matheson station for example is a living history.
The ticket agent at the Timmins ONR station mentioned that some of the bricks on the south side of the building were signed by German prisoners of war who were held at nearby Montieth detention camp in May, 1945 when the war ended.
Many of the bricks are signed personal markers of passengers passing through who were arriving, departing or waiting for a connection to the bus or the train.
The train stopped two years ago and now as of 9:30 p.m. Friday May 22, 2015 the bus will no longer stop either.
The freight trains that still rumble by on the rail line also rush on by.
They don’t stop either, though several rail carrier cars stacked with tree trunks are parked on side rails waiting for pick up.
The agent on duty at the Matheson station on Friday said he believed the new stop would be by a variety store, but on the return trip to Timmins on Saturday, the bus from North Bay instead pulled into an empty gravel and sand lot with no shelters, no visible signage except for a small sign anchored by an cement block that simply said “Parking Reserved for Ontario Northland Vehicles."
There were a handful of passengers waiting for the two other connecting buses.
One or two got off and paced the dirt lot for a smoke.
A few hours earlier a heavy rain storm passed through the area and the ground was still moist from the rain.
The lot was surrounded by houses and across the street was a bank.
An LCB0 outlet appeared around the corner.
The new bus stop for Englehart was situated along Highway 11 at the Englehart Hotel with many conveniences of the Englehart train station.
Only question: how do passengers get to the town centre from Highway 11?
The ONR announced the shutdown of the stations were needed to sustain the bus service.
In addition to the shutdown of the two stations, ONR will also implement reduced hours at New Liskeard, Kirkland Lake and Sudbury.
The ONR’s sand and gravel Matheson stop may be temporary as the ONR intends to find a business close to Highway 11 for passenger pick up and drop off.
The changes in location for the bus station will also affect drop off and pick up of bus parcel express parcels.
(PHOTO: Saturday's bus from North Bay stops at a gravel lot in Matheson. Frank Giorno for TimminsToday)
