Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, meets with Township of Russell representatives during a visit to highlight $20,425 in provincial funding for improvements to the New York Central Recreational Trail area in Embrun. From left: Russell Mayor Mike Tarnowski, Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Richard Godin, Russell CAO, Jonathan Bourgon, Executive Director Infrastructure Department. Courtesy Photo

EMBRUN – The Township of Russell has received $20,425 in provincial funding for improvements to a municipal parking lot at the beginning of the New York Central Recreational Trail in Embrun.

The funding comes through the Rural Ontario Development Program (RODP) Community Development Stream and will support the township’s Main Street Beautification for Business and Tourism in the Township of Russell project.

Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, announced the funding during a visit with municipal representatives Aug. 28.

The project will focus on the municipal parking lot at the corner of Notre-Dame Street and Blais Street, with improvements planned to make the area more functional and accessible for residents, visitors, businesses and trail users.

Planned improvements include new landscaping and decorative lighting, parklet furniture, a bicycle rack and repair station, and directional and safety signage visible from the roadway. Active transportation path markings will also be added at the entrance to the parking lot.

The New York Central Recreational Trail currently extends approximately 10 kilometres between Embrun and Russell, following the former railway right-of-way. The Township of Russell identifies it as a key active transportation corridor connecting the two communities.

The trail has a history dating back more than a century. Information available through the Township of Russell and the Embrun Historical Society reveals the railway line opened in 1898 as part of the Ottawa-Cornwall route, with stations serving both Embrun and Russell. Residents of Embrun had voted in favour of providing a $10,000 bonus to the railway company in 1897 in exchange for routing the line close to the village and establishing a station there.

The railway became an important transportation link for the communities along the route, carrying passengers, mail, agricultural products and other goods. The arrival of the railway contributed to economic growth in both Russell and Embrun, while providing residents with a direct connection to Ottawa and communities farther east toward Cornwall.

When usage decreased, passenger service was discontinued in 1954, and the final New York Central train travelled from Ottawa to Cornwall on Feb. 14, 1957. Canadian National acquired the railway that year and the tracks and bridges were subsequently removed.

The Township of Russell acquired a section of the former railway between Russell and Embrun in 1979 and converted it into a multi-purpose recreational trail. The trail’s name preserves the connection to the railway that once played a significant role in the development of the two communities.

As part of the current project, the recreational trail will be relocated behind the historic train station in Embrun. The township says the new alignment will provide a safer and more accessible route for trail users.

The improvements are also intended to strengthen the connection between the trail and Embrun’s commercial area, while providing additional amenities for people arriving by bicycle or on foot.

Work is scheduled to begin this summer, with the majority of the project expected to be completed in spring 2027.