Railway tunnel in Brockville, Ont. to open Friday
After a delayed start to the 2024 season, the city of Brockville, Ont. says Canada’s First Railway Tunnel will open to the public next week.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
“We are excited to announce that the Brockville Railway Tunnel will open for the 2024 season on Friday, May 17th,” the city said in a statement last week.
The Brockville Railway Tunnel is a free attraction located right near city hall. It typically opens on Easter weekend and closes sometime in the fall, but an issue with the lighting system prevented the tunnel from opening on time.
“We have people opening their boats for the season, getting out on the Thousand Islands cruises, the patios are opening up. So we really wanted to open up the tunnel, for this weekend specifically," said Lyndsay Bigley, a marketing officer for Brockville Tourism.
Visitors can walk the entire stretch of 500 metres, which runs underneath downtown Brockville. The tunnel, which was built in 1860, features a light show which reflects onto the walls and illuminates the historic architecture.
The reason behind the delayed start was some of the multi-coloured lights were failing due to the dampness of the tunnel. The city wanted to ensure the production was running 100 per cent before opening for the year.
Despite the announced opening, the lights are not completely fixed. The city says a solution has been found, but will take months to implement.
“It's not going to be back to the full light and light and sound show that it first opened with back in 2018," Bigley said.
In the meantime, white lights will be featured instead of the full multi-coloured show that typically takes place.
“We will continue to work on repairs and upgrades to bring back the colour show in all its glory,” reads the statement. “As soon as the required parts arrive and can be installed and programmed, which we estimate will be mid summer, the show will be back in full force.”
The city added that once the parts arrive, the tunnel may need to close again for a week for installation.
"It's really driving people to visit our restaurants, to visit our other attractions. So even if they're just stopping by the tunnel and checking out some of the other businesses it's a really, really great thing for Brockville," Bigley said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account – and the life-changing moment was caught on video.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Dangerous brew: Ocean heat and La Nina combo likely mean more Atlantic hurricanes this summer
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.