Hovercraft service plans to start Toronto to Niagara run next summer
Toronto to Niagara in 30 minutes?
In the latest attempt at a cross-lake transit link, a new hovercraft service plans to run rapid journeys between the two locations beginning next summer.
Two high-speed hovercraft will soon allow Niagara-bound travellers to skip the gridlock on the QEW and hover across Lake Ontario - from Ontario Place to Port Weller, St. Catharines - in barely more than the amount of time it takes to ride the Maid of the Mist.
Operated by Hoverlink Ontario Inc., a company formed for this purpose and funded by private Canadian investors, the two hovercraft hold up to 180 passengers each, and can travel in all weather conditions, across land, ice and water.
With a travel time of about half an hour, the new service aims to make Niagara's tourist attractions more accessible for Torontonians and ease the pain for commuters, according to Hoverlink's CEO Chris Morgan. It's a game changer," said Morgan. You could actually head to Niagara for the evening, grab a show, go to a winery and come back and not spend four to six hours in traffic."
On the other end, the hovercraft will allow people living in the Niagara region to come into the city for a sports game or a concert, he said.
The 130-km car journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls can take more than two hours in traffic. The train ride is also two hours.
Hoverlink is not the first company to try transportation across Lake Ontario, but previous cross-lake ventures have fizzled. A ferry that carried travellers between Toronto and Rochester, N.Y., was sunk after just two seasons in 2006 when the city of Rochester refused to fund it.
What makes this venture different, Morgan said, is the craft capability." The hovercraft are the first of their kind in North America, he said, adding that they are fast and environmentally friendly, with low emission engines and producing no disturbance to marine life. And according to Morgan, they are no louder than a standard dishwasher.
The craft have two propulsion systems that allow them to float above the surface, Morgan said: one that creates lift by pushing air down, and another that propels the vehicle forward.
With two vessels and up to 48 lake crossings per day, 365 days a year, the service plans to move more than 3 million passengers per year.
According to Morgan, this equates to removing as many as 8,000 cars off the highway every day - or about 33 km of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The hovercraft project has been in the works for more than a decade and has required approvals from all three levels of government, Morgan said. The service is set to open in July or August of next summer, after the craft pass safety tests.
Correction - Sept. 14, 2022: Hoverlink Ontario Inc. will operate the hovercraft service between Ontario Place and Port Weller. A previous version of this file misstated the name of the company.
Lex Harvey is a Toronto-based transportation reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @lexharvs