In a statement issued Wednesday, Ontario Hoverlink Ltd. said it is in the final stages of approval for the project, which will begin in the summer of 2023.
Once completed, the ship will depart from Ontario Place on the Toronto waterfront and arrive at Port Weller, St. Catharines in just half an hour – a trip that normally takes two to three hours by car.
“Toronto and the Niagara Region are about to get much closer,” Ontario Hoverlink Ltd. founder and CEO said in the release. Chris Morgan.
“We can’t wait to finally offer a fast, reliable and sustainable transport solution that connects tourists and passengers in just 30 minutes.”
The company plans to make up to 48 lake crossings a day using two vessels — the Griffon BHT-130 and BHT-150 ochercraft models. Up to 180 passengers will be allowed on each trip. No vehicles will be allowed on board.
The first of their kind in North America, the hovercrafts are waterproof, the company says, and can travel over water, land and ice. There will be no outdoor seating areas, the company says.
“Crafts float on a cushion of air over the water, so they go away [..] no wake-up or wash,” the announcement said, adding that the noise emitted by the machines is less than a domestic dishwasher.
General Manager and former Toronto Argonauts player Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons signed on to the project, a board member of Ontario Hovercraft Ltd.
“Hoverlink’s hovercraft service will bring families together to sporting events, theater, concerts, adult games and one of the world’s natural wonders in 30 minutes,” Clemons said in the release.
The company says it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “by offloading hundreds of cars [Queen Elizabeth Way] every day.”
The service is scheduled to operate year-round. Pricing information will be released closer to the 2023 release date.
On September 29, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Hoverlink is holding a public consultation event located at the Grantham Lions Club at 732 Niagara Street in St Catharines, Ont.
