Cochrane
A Railway Town At The Junction Of Highway 11 And The Ontario Northland Line To The North, The Departure Point For The Polar Bear Express To Moosonee, With A Large Polar Bear Statue, The Polar Bear Habitat And Heritage Village, And A Northern Ontario Rail History. A Well Known Gateway To The James Bay Lowlands · Cochrane, Ontario
Cochrane is a railway town of roughly 5,000 people on Highway 11 in northern Ontario, the southern terminus of the Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee, about 130 to 175 km east of Kapuskasing by road (confirm). The Cree and Algonquin peoples have long travelled this country between the Abitibi and Moose river systems, and the town was founded in the early 1900s where the National Transcontinental Railway met the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario line (confirm the date). Visitors come mainly for the train, which runs north across the muskeg to Moosonee near James Bay on a seasonal schedule, and for the Polar Bear Habitat and Heritage Village, which cares for polar bears and preserves pioneer buildings. A large polar bear statue greets travellers in town, and Lake Commando offers a beach and picnic area. Cochrane is a friendly Highway 11 stop with a strong railway identity and the feel of a gateway to the James Bay lowlands.
Cochrane, a town of about 5,000 people on Highway 11 in northern Ontario, the southern terminus of the Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee, roughly 150 km east of Kapuskasing; coordinates approximate, Cochrane, Ontario, Canada
The town and its lakefront are open all year, and the polar bear statue, the station area and the beach can be seen at any hour at no cost. The Polar Bear Habitat and Heritage Village keeps seasonal hours, often daily from about late May to early September and fewer days or closed in winter (confirm by phone). The Polar Bear Express runs on a seasonal schedule, and times, days and fares change (confirm with Ontario Northland). Shops, restaurants and fuel stations keep ordinary town hours. Summer light lasts past 10 pm in June, and winter days are short and cold.