Owner Grand River Transit Operator(s) GrandLinq | Operation will start Early 2018 (expected) | |
 | ||
Locale Region of Waterloo, Ontario Transit type Light rail
Bus rapid transit Number of stations 19 (6 of the 19 stations serve one direction only; phase 1) | ||
Ion is a light rail and bus rapid transit service under construction in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It will be operated by Grand River Transit.
Contents
- History
- Approved light rail system
- Vehicles
- Facilities
- Route
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Staging
- Bids
- Construction
- Design
- Politics
- Support
- Opposition
- References
In 2009, an Environmental Assessment (EA) began to create a proposal of light rail though Kitchener and Waterloo, and adapted bus rapid transit through Cambridge. On June 24, 2009, Regional Council voted to approve the project, subject to funding from higher levels of government.
On June 15, 2011, council approved funding for the first phase, consisting of light rail and adapted bus rapid transit, with the goal of extending light rail to Cambridge. This was followed by a community building strategy to guide development, identify key destinations, and strengthen regional connections. The strategy, led by Urban Strategies Inc. of Toronto, consulted hundreds of individuals and stakeholders from Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.
Construction on the project began in August 2014, and service was expected to begin in late 2017; however, because of delays in the manufacture and delivery of the vehicles, service will begin in early 2018.
History
In 2004, the Regional Municipality began an Individual Environmental Assessment to study the feasibility of constructing a rapid transit line to provide higher-order public transit service to the Region and to encourage more compact urban growth along the corridor.
The EA took a broader approach to studying possible routes and stations for the rapid transit line, examining several options such as utilizing existing tracks/roads and constructing new facilities. In keeping with legislation, the Environmental Assessment also examined ten possible transport technologies, including monorails and subways.
The EA as planned consisted of three phases:
Phase 1: Determine a preferred transportation strategy from options such as road expansion, improved conventional transit, and rapid transit. Phase 1 was completed in July 2006.
Phase 2:
Step 1: Determine a preferred route design (grade separated, dedicated on-road, dedicated off-road, etc.) and technology. The EA examined ten different technologies including light rail, bus rapid transit, monorail, and subway. Step 1, completed in February 2007, determined that light rail transit and bus rapid transit were best suited to meet the needs of the Regional Growth Management Strategy. Step 2: Determined a short list of preferred routes and technologies for seven segments of a rapid transit system (completed in 2008). Step 3: Proposed an overall preferred rapid transit system (completed June 2009)Phase 3: Design an implementation plan for the rapid transit system.
In June 2008, the Province of Ontario announced a new expedited Transit Project Assessment Process (Ontario Regulation 231/08). In August 2008, the Region notified the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to advise that the it would transition from the Individual EA to the expedited process. For that reason, Phase 3 of the Individual EA will not be completed. The Region expects to transition to the new Assessment Process in the Fall of 2009.
On June 24, 2009 Regional Council approved the initiative and the Region is in discussions with Provincial and Federal governments to obtain funding for the $790 million project. Light Rail Transit (LRT) has been short-listed as the technology for the new rapid transit system. The Region has decided upon a staged approach for building light rail from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall, passing through Uptown Waterloo and Downtown Kitchener on the way. Adapted Bus Rapid Transit (aBRT) is to be built initially from Fairview Park Mall to Ainslie Street terminal in Cambridge utilizing shoulder bypass lanes along Highways 8 and 401 during heavy traffic where speeds are 40 km/h or less.
In summer of 2010, funding from higher levels of government was announced: $300 million from the province of Ontario, and $265 million (or up to 1/3 of the full cost) from the federal government. The provincial figure was disappointing to supporters, as they had previously promised 2/3 of the cost. The Region must now look into funding the remaining $200–300 million if the project is to go ahead as planned.
Approved light rail system
On June 24, 2009, Regional Council approved LRT as the technology for rapid transit in Waterloo Region. Regional Council also approved a recommendation to implement the system in stages because ridership, development potential and capital and operating costs vary along the route.
The light rail system was approved by Regional Council with a vote of 15-1. Cambridge mayor Doug Craig cast the dissenting vote. Other Cambridge-area representatives joined Craig in voting against subsequent motions on the service's staging, feeling that initially running only buses to that city does them a disservice.
The Province of Ontario has promised it will fund up to two thirds of the cost of the construction of a light rail or bus rapid transit system in Waterloo Region.
During public consultation for the project, concerns related to the light rail proposal focused on its relative service infrequency when compared with rapid transit systems in other cities (though it would still outperform the Region’s best bus services in its overall service capacity, and the frequency of many routes); the projected service frequency will be approximately 7.5 minutes. In addition, a light rail line would be limited by the narrow main streets of key downtown areas. A feasible proposal raised by the Region for dealing with this challenge would be to have light rail vehicles share space with traffic within core areas, somewhat resembling the traditional streetcar networks of many European cities, and of nearby Toronto. A bus rapid transit line would also face the challenge of the cramped core areas, and thus would also likely share space with traffic in core areas.
In late 2011, planning was well underway and preparations were being made. In October, a property on Dutton Drive in Waterloo, bordering the rail-line corridor where the LRT is planned to be installed, was purchased to serve as a maintenance and storage yard for the system's trains.
Vehicles
On July 10, 2013, The Record newspaper reported that a deal was finalized with Metrolinx to join its contract with Bombardier Transportation for the purchase of 14 Flexity Freedom trainsets to form the system's initial fleet, with an option to purchase up to 14 more as the need arises. The International Railway Journal reported on July 12, 2013 that the region would be purchasing 14 trainsets, with an option to buy 16 more.
The 14 vehicles are estimated to cost $92.4 million, an average of $6.6 million per vehicle. The cost breakdown is:
Each vehicle has 56 seats and capacity of over 280 passengers.
Production of the new vehicles will begin in 2015 with deliveries beginning in the summer of 2016.
On April 13, 2016, The Record reported that Bombardier had informed the transit authority that delivery of the vehicles would be delayed. The Region of Waterloo's commissioner of transportation and environmental services, Thomas Schmidt, said the delay would only be two months, and would still allow for a full set of vehicles to be ready when the system opened.
On May 20, 2016, Bombardier announced that to avoid further delays it would shift construction of the vehicles for the Ion system from its Thunder Bay plant to another plant in Kingston, Ontario. The last nine of Ion's fourteen vehicles will be built in Kingston.
Delivery of the first vehicle was set for February 2017. According to the Rail Journal, the first vehicle was loaded for delivery at Bombardier's Thunder Bay plant on February 15, 2017. It arrived in Waterloo by rail on Friday, February 24, 2017. Testing will take place during the spring, on the section of the route between Northfield Station and Caroline and Erb streets, in Waterloo.
Facilities
The Ion fleet will be stored and maintained at the Ion Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility located at 518 Dutton Drive in Waterloo.
The design of each of the stops will be focused on an 'anchor wall', a large 4m-square panel subdivided into smaller tiles of glass, ceramic or stone; each station will have a unique wall design based on the surrounding architecture, landmarks and social character.
Route
The route approved by Regional Council travels in a mix of on-road and off-road (in various existing rights-of-way) configurations.
Phase 1
Phase 2
On-road sections keep the trains in dedicated lanes that do not mix with general traffic.
In February 2017, after limitations in the original route design came to light, a new preliminary preferred route was announced. This would no longer use the CPR line south of Fairway; instead, it would travel to the east of it, along the River Rd extension and across Hwy 8; along King St into the Sportsworld area and under Hwy 401; along Shantz Hill Rd into Preston, and crossing the Speed River on a dedicated bridge.
It would again take Eagle St toward Hespeler, but to avoid conflicts with rail corridors and reduce traffic impacts at Eagle/Pinebush, would travel along the freight spur to Hespeler Rd. As previously, Hespeler Rd would be followed toward the Delta intersection, but to avoid traffic impacts it would veer east along the rail corridor behind Norfolk Ave, then transition to an abandoned railway corridor behind Grantham and Beverly Sts, before coming into downtown Galt near the Ainslie Terminal.
Staging
The Region approved a staged implementation plan for its rapid transit system:
Stage 1 – Implementation of LRT north of Fairview Park Mall and adapted Bus Rapid Transit south of Fairview Park Mall, including:
The stage 1 route will be 19 kilometres long.
Stage 2 – Completion of a light rail transit system from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street transit terminal in downtown Cambridge. Commencement of Stage 2 to follow completion of Stage 1 as closely as possible.
Bids
Out of the seven groups that showed an interest in the project, by December 18, 2013, three consortiums had submitted bids to build the system:
The winning bid was selected at a committee meeting on March 4, 2014. GrandLinq is the preferred bidder. The final approval of the GrandLinq bid came at a full council meeting on March 19, and financial close was made May 9.
Construction
Utility relocation and other associated work began in late 2013. Construction officially started with a groundbreaking event on August 21, 2014.
The first sections of the route scheduled for work were Borden Avenue in Kitchener, and Caroline Street in Waterloo. In early 2015, work shifted to Charles Street and King Street in Kitchener, and within the railway corridors. In March, under a stretch of King Street, GrandLinq reported finding wooden rail ties from the streetcar line, abandoned in the 1950s, unearthed during excavation.
By late 2015, many stretches of track were installed and some future stations had their concrete pads poured.
By the end of 2016, system construction was 90% complete, including full completion of the maintenance facility and all underground utility work.
Design
The stations are being constructed to be the length of a two-vehicle train; however, as only single vehicles are anticipated to be required initially, the major station facilities are only being built for a single vehicle length at start. This consists of a cantilevered glass canopy over a mostly open waiting area; enclosures will be built to provide some shelter. Each station will also be recognizable by a 'feature wall', a 3m-square installation near the end of the platform that will carry a distinct colour scheme and pattern. The wall face will be a series of large tiles in glass, ceramic or stone; at some stations, all tiles will be the same, while others will feature a unique pattern. Each wall will feature an illuminated ION logo, as well as the station's name. A second wall can be installed at the opposite end of each platform, and will be erected when two-vehicle trains become the norm. Several stations will also benefit from additional public art installations.
Politics
The proposal has attracted vocal support and opposition.
Support
In May 2009, a Facebook group named "I Support Light Rail Transit in the Region of Waterloo" was created, and boasted over 1,600 members. Shortly after its creation, the group creator and other LRT supporters formed the "Tri-Cities Transport Action Group" (TriTAG). According to its website, TriTAG supports LRT as a needed method of shaping development, meeting future capacity needs, protecting the environment, and providing the most economical solution for transportation in the Region. Six months after founding, TriTAG launched an email campaign to allow supporters of LRT to email their MPs, MPPs, and other government officials such as the federal and provincial Ministers of Transportation. Within a few days, thousands of emails had been sent. For the 2010 Regional Budget, TriTAG and its supporters presented to the Regional Budget Committee regarding various areas of transportation funding. While the focus was not on LRT, the delegates spoke about the importance of proper transportation infrastructure (pedestrian, cycling, transit) on a successful LRT system. TriTAG has continued their support of the project into the bid stage in 2014; a notable contribution is a video outlining the landmarks and amenities that the route will access. Proponents have asserted that the region's plans for rapid transit will be an essential component of planning and rationally controlling the Region's growth.
Opposition
A group opposed to the rapid transit proposal, called "Taxpayers for Sensible Transit" (T4ST), was formed in June 2009. According to its website, T4ST opposes LRT as being a proposal too big and too expensive for the region, which will hurt businesses and the local economy. Taxpayers for Sensible Transit did not present a position regarding transportation and transit funding for the 2010 Regional Budget.
In September 2013 Doug Craig, the mayor of Cambridge, Ontario, called for the examining the cost of cancelling the light rail line. He justified this examination due to doubts by Toronto politicians over its light rail line.
On November 19, 2013, it was reported that Craig was working to "extricate" Cambridge from any obligation to pay for the line connecting it to Kitchener, while, at the same time, trying to argue for connecting Cambridge to Toronto, via a GO Train.
The first candidate to announce his run for Mayor of the City of Waterloo in the 2014 election, local media personality Dave MacDonald, was running on a primarily anti-LRT platform.
In March 2014, just as the Region was preparing to give final approval to the construction contract, a group titled "Coalition Stop Waterloo LRT" filed a legal injunction against the project, claiming it did not meet planning guidelines and should be stopped. A court decision on March 18 dismissed the motion, but did not rule out further legal review. It later emerged that the only citizen directly associated with the filing coalition was local businessman Jay Aissa. Ann Tucker of the Ontario Superior Court dismissed the suit on March 19, 2014.
In July, Aissa announced that he was dropping further legal challenges, and instead would take a political option to oppose the project, running against incumbent Regional chairman Ken Seiling. Seiling was re-elected Chairman with 58.4% of the vote.