Toronto to St. Catharines will take 30 minutes with new hovercraft service

Niagara | St Catharines | Traffic |

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Published September 14, 2022 at 10:17 am

“As the crow flies” means the most direct route from A to B. For folks in Niagara, that direct route will be coming next summer.

Rather than an arduous trip along the QEW, which often is stop-and-go from Oakville through to St. Catharines on the weekends, Hoverlink Ontario is launching a hovercraft service that will transport up to 180 passengers a trip from Toronto to St. Catharines in a half-hour.

In a release, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hoverlink Ontario Chris Morgan says, “Toronto and Niagara Region are about to get a whole lot closer. We cannot wait to finally provide a fast, reliable and sustainable transportation solution that connects tourists and commuters in only 30 minutes.”

“There is already an incredible amount of interest in the project, and we look forward to speaking with more people in the weeks and months ahead.”

After one company tried and failed to get a similar service set up in 2017, Hoverlink does has its approvals in place to land its hovercrafts at Ontario Place in Toronto and Port Weller in St. Catharines, travelling across Lake Ontario year-round with up to 48 lake crossings per day.

Hoverlink says it has the capacity to serve more than three million passengers per year and the service will provide a direct link between two of Ontario’s most significant economic and tourist regions.

“It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing thousands of vehicles from the QEW every day,” the company says.

The company says its high-speed hovercrafts can travel across land, ice and water, in virtually all-weather conditions and temperatures “in a comfortable, climate-controlled cabin.”

Former Toronto Argonaut great Michael “Pinball” Clemons is on the Board of Directors for Hoverlink Ontario Inc. and as far as he’s concerned, the new service is like a Christmas present.

“December is months away, yet today (September 13), we officially announce a gift to families across the Golden Horseshoe. Hoverlink’s hovercraft service will unite families to sporting events, theatre, concerts, adult gaming and one of the natural wonders of the world in 30 minutes.”

The company has not yet announced the cost per ride.

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