Late Friday afternoon information was released that the federal Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, will be in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday morning to make an announcement related to the Algoma Central Railway service. A press conference is scheduled for 11:30 AM at the Sault Ste. Marie Civic Centre.

Expect a change to the current situation, although at this point what is going to be announced is still speculation. Most of the groups lobbying against the ACR passenger service cancellation have been pushing for at least a one-year extension while the economic impact and value of the service can be properly and publicly evaluated, instead of the way the subsidy was pulled suddenly with very short notice.

It would be unlikely for the federal Minister to make such a journey to simply announce that the cancellation will go ahead as planned on April 29, so it looks like some sort of extension may be in the cards here, but the details will have to wait until Monday.

Here’s an excerpt from a press release on Friday:

Transport Canada to make ACR announcement Monday

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, will be in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday to make an announcement regarding Algoma Central Railway passenger service.

Stakeholders and other interested parties are invited to attend the announcement, which is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. outside City Council Chambers on the third level of the Civic Centre.