Downtown Updates and other news relevant to Downtown Guelph
The Guelph Junction Express
Date Posted: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tourism express
GUELPH
Chugging like the Little Engine that Could, the new Guelph Junction Express is testament to the power of positive thinking. And in an era where everything old is new again, the vintage passenger train also drew attention to the economic and environmental benefits of shipping goods and material by rail versus road.
Excitement grew over the two-hour round-trip rail excursion from Guelph's River Run Centre to Guelph Junction, near Campbellville, as passengers saw not just scenery but the possibilities of what an excursion train in the Royal City could do for tourism and economic development.
Rita Carroll, co-owner of Destiny Tours --which brought the train to Guelph and lovingly restored it -- said she originally dismissed the notion when her partner and husband, John, first proposed it four years ago. He's an idea kind of guy and not all of them amount to anything, she said.
But the more research they did, the more it tied into the city's plans to invigorate Guelph's downtown -- and the more positive feedback they received, the more committed the couple became to the project.
Destiny Tours officially launched the Guelph Junction Express Saturday; a sightseeing and dining train that will operate year-round.
"We're ecstatic about it," said Sue Trerise, senior business development specialist with the City of Guelph. "This is the first commercial attraction in the city that's privately built. John and Rita risked everything for this."
The city owns Guelph Junction Railway and about 24 miles of track from Guelph Junction through to Guelph's northwest industrial park.
What's key to the company's profit, however, is the fact it connects with both Canadian Pacific and Canadian National rail lines, making Guelph Junction Railway an important cog in the flow of goods by rail across the country. The railway line currently serves some 14 customers in Guelph who ship raw materials and finished products in and out of Guelph.
The Guelph Junction Express is a new customer using Guelph Junction Railway's infrastructure, but it will also be a tourism destination.
John Carroll said the current business plan is to offer one excursion every second weekend until demand dictates otherwise.
Brunch or dinner plus the train ride will cost about $60 per person, as well as a cash bar. Carroll also has ideas for themed trips -- birthdays, fall foliage tours, murder mystery dinners, a Santa Claus Express -- plus private and corporate bookings. He also sees the potential, one day, to add a commuter train from Guelph to the GO Transit station in Milton.
"It's been very gratifying," Carroll said. "We've been working on the trains for about five months and people drop in to tell their train stories. They actually thank us for doing this."
Ben Boehm, president of Guelph Junction Railway, said with the rising cost of gas and the often terrible condition of roads, more and more businesses are looking at rail transport with new eyes.
Lloyd Longfield, president of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, said he wants to hold a chamber meeting on the train to introduce members not only to the excursion train, but to the possibilities rail transport might hold for their businesses.
For more information visit http://www.guelphjunctionexpress.ca/ or phone 519-823-9799.
jshuttleworth@guelphmercury.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION
John Carroll
Destiny Tours International Inc.
T 519-823-9799
E john@destinytours.com
Sue Trerise
Senior Business Development Specialist/Tourism Sector
City of Guelph Economic Development and Tourism Services
T 519-837-1335 x2534
E sue.trerise@guelph.ca
