It's true what they say, what's old is new again.
After nearly 60 years, Toronto and Detroit are looking to reconnect via train lines. According to Curbed Detroit, North American railway service Amtrak has submitted a funding request for the "restoration of the Detroit-Toronto Service."
READ: Metrolinx To Lower Fares On Short-Distance GO Transit Trips
The service, which would continue on through to Chicago, will be an upgrade from the Toronto-Detroit service that was cancelled in the 70s. Back then, passengers were required to change trains in Welland, ON or Buffalo, NY.
“It appears the last direct train between Detroit and Toronto was in 1967, prior to the establishment of Amtrak,” an Amtrak spokesperson told Daily Hive.
READ: GO Transit Is Expanding To Give Commuters More Options
Amtrak's funding request totals a whopping $2.4 billion, but the cost of the restored Chicago/Western Michigan-Detroit-Toronto corridor is unidentified.
Amtrak is expected to submit a more detailed authorization proposal later this year, which presumably will include an estimate for the project.
READ: Could GO Train Service From Toronto To Niagara Falls, NY Become A Reality?
Detroit isn't the only American city looking to expand its service to Toronto. Earlier this year, the mayor of Niagara Falls, NY expressed a strong desire to create an international rail line that would connect his city with the 6ix.
At the time of the Toronto - Niagara Falls, NY discussion, Metrolinx, who runs GO Transit in Ontario said they had no intention of crossing the border.
Amtrak, on the other hand, already offers cross border services in conjunction with VIA Rail. Dubbed the Maple Leaf train, Amtrak/Via operate daily with service running from various American cities to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto via Niagara Falls.
