Rapid transit in Waterloo Region
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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There is an ongoing proposal for the introduction of a rapid transit service in the Region of Waterloo in Ontario as a enhancement to Grand River Transit. As of 2008, an Environmental Assessment (EA) is underway to establish a light rail or a bus rapid transit line through Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
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[edit] History
In 2004, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo began an 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 current EA has taken 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 assessment had reduced the options to light rail transit and/or bus rapid transit, and the next phase consists of examining possible routes and station locations.
Numerous public meetings and workshops have been held as part of the Environmental Assessment.
[edit] Proposal
The proposed route would start near Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and end in the southern part of Cambridge. The route and station locations are yet to be determined by the EA.
The Province of Ontario has promised it will fund one-third of the cost of the construction of a light rail or bus rapid transit system in Waterloo Region.
[edit] Light rail
The initial proposal for a light rail system had the first phase serving the main transportation corridor in Kitchener-Waterloo, using existing railway lines and on-street lanes to carry trains along 14 km of track to ten stations between Waterloo and Kitchener (paralleling GRT's Route 7 Mainline).
The light rail proposal had received some criticism because it would run relatively infrequently (though would still outperform the Region’s best bus services in its overall service capacity). In addition, a light rail line would be limited by the narrow (often only two lanes) main streets of key downtown areas, where it would not be feasible to remove any capacity for car traffic.
