Canada: Track Maintenance Awarded to a GCF Group Company

Platinum Track Services Takes Centre Stage in Ontario

An important contract award in Canada for Platinum Track Services Inc., the overseas company of the GCF Group, which recently signed a significant agreement with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), the government agency responsible for providing passenger and freight transportation services in Northern Ontario, for maintenance and renewal works on the railway network operated by ONTC itself.

The five-year contract provides for Platinum Track Services to carry out a wide range of maintenance activities aimed at ensuring line efficiency and the smooth flow of railway traffic, including track renewal works with the replacement of rails and sleepers, as well as tamping and levelling operations along extensive sections of line. In essence, Platinum Track Services’ team will be responsible for ensuring that the railway infrastructure meets or exceeds industry requirements, while contributing to the long-term performance and integrity of the network through services delivered under conditions of maximum safety, reliability and compliance with the highest quality standards.

The project forms part of the long-awaited relaunch of passenger services on the Ontario Northland Railway - one of Canada’s largest regional railway systems - suspended in 2012. Operated by ONTC, the railway provides what is considered an essential connection for many remote and rural communities in Northern Ontario and also supplies freight transport services to numerous companies, including mining and forestry businesses, enabling them to thrive. For this reason, the infrastructure development plan is now universally regarded as strategic and of major social significance.

The Relaunch of the Ontario Northland Railway

The Ontario Northland Railway, a regional railway network in Northeastern Ontario, consists of a main North-South line connecting Moosonee, on James Bay, to Washago (near Toronto), passing through Cochrane, Temiskaming and North Bay, together with a secondary line towards Québec and several smaller branches serving mining and industrial locations. Altogether, the network extends for more than 1,000 kilometres and, in the northern area, provides a vital connection to many remote and rural communities while transporting freight for numerous businesses, including mining and forestry companies, allowing them to prosper.
In recent years, ONTC has launched a major revitalisation programme aimed at transforming the network - historically focused mainly on freight and natural resources - into infrastructure capable of supporting and increasing passenger traffic.

When the Northlander made its last stop in September 2012 (top photo), it marked the end of more than 100 years of passenger rail transport history on this Northeastern Ontario route.
January 2026: the arrival of the first Northlander trainset in Ontario (bottom photo) marks a milestone for the new era of passenger rail service in the North. (photo credits: Ontario Northland)

Within this development framework, major public investments have been made to acquire more than 200 km of CN Rail’s Newmarket Subdivision line, from North Bay to Washago, a natural southern extension, to reactivate (by 2026) the historic “Northlander” passenger service suspended in 2012, to purchase new modern Siemens Venture trainsets, renovate stations (North Bay, Cochrane and Englehart above all) and, naturally, to carry out substantial infrastructure works for track modernisation (curves, joints, track structure) and improved level crossing safety, above all with the aim of reducing and optimising travel times.

“Our government is protecting Ontario by bringing back the Northlander and reconnecting thousands of people in Northeastern Ontario to healthcare, education and economic opportunities,” stated Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, when publicly presenting the major investment plan. “The ongoing rail works will help reduce travel times and ensure a smoother and more comfortable journey for passengers.”

He was echoed by George Pirie, Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth: “Our government’s investment in track improvements is ensuring safer and smoother travel while also building momentum towards the return of the Northlander,” he stressed. “The improvements announced today will make it easier and safer for students, workers and tourists to travel across the North, and with works well underway at Timmins station, our community is ready to welcome back the Northlander.”

For its part, the management of Platinum Track Services Inc. expressed satisfaction with the continuation of its collaboration with Ontario Northland Railway, underlining its pride in contributing to ONTC’s infrastructure expansion and modernisation programmes and to the development of the entire Canadian province, while at the same time strengthening the international presence of the GCF Group in the North American market.

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