Charles Street Transit Terminal
Charles Street Transit Terminal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location |
15 Charles Street West[1] Kitchener, Ontario Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°26′58″N 80°29′32″W / 43.44944°N 80.49222°WCoordinates: 43°26′58″N 80°29′32″W / 43.44944°N 80.49222°W |
| Owned by | Region of Waterloo |
| Operated by | Grand River Transit |
| Bus stands | 25 |
| Bus operators | |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | Ticket office, washrooms, waiting room, restaurant, covered platforms |
| Bicycle facilities | Yes |
| Disabled access | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Station code | GO Transit: KITB |
| History | |
| Opened | 1988 (City of Kitchener) |
The Charles Street Transit Terminal at 15 Charles Street West[1] in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada is the main bus station and downtown hub for local Grand River Transit (GRT) bus services for Kitchener and Waterloo. This terminal is also used by a number of intercity operators, including Greyhound, GO Transit, Coach Canada and Aboutown.
It is the largest public service facility run by GRT, with the Cambridge Ainslie Street terminal being the only other staffed bus station.
History
The building was completed in 1988 by the City of Kitchener, which operated Kitchener Transit, GRT's forerunner, at the time. It replaced a facility at Duke and Scott streets, which had become overcrowded. Ownership has since transferred to the Region of Waterloo, GRT's operator.
Facilities
The main terminal building contains the ticket desk, plus washrooms and administrative space on the upper level; the lower level has a licensed restaurant and walk-in cafe, plus an ATM. Access between the floors is by escalator or elevator. Access to the GRT bus platforms from the entry structure is by an enclosed, elevated walkway. Each of the two island platform groups have a 'pod' containing stairwells and an elevator, which also serve as enclosed, climate-controlled waiting space for passengers, with a total of 20 bus stop locations.[2]
The Greyhound and Megabus stops are beside the main terminal building,[2] with GO transit buses using a platform at the northwest corner of the facility effective April 8, 2017.[3] A small modular office handles Greyhound sales outdoors beside the platform during service hours. All other intercity operators are handled by the GRT service desk.
Future
The possibility of the Charles St. Terminal becoming redundant in the near future has been broached by a pair of Regional plans: first, on implementation of a rapid-transit backbone which would decentralize bus routes and require fewer platforms at a single downtown location; and second, the plan to build a multi-modal hub at King and Victoria streets to handle train, bus, and rapid-transit services, which would also probably integrate the railway station. The Ion rapid transit service is scheduled to debut in 2017 and the stop at the terminal does not yet have a firm date for completion.
The LRT's Victoria Park station will be located just across Gaukel Street from the terminal when that system opens in 2018.
Bus services
Grand River Transit
- Grand River Transit routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 22, and 34.[2] iXpress routes 200[4] and 204.[5]
Greyhound
- QuickLink[6] to Toronto Coach Terminal
- Toronto / Guelph / London (local service)
GO Transit
- 25 Waterloo/Mississauga GO Bus[7] service between Square One Bus Terminal and the University of Waterloo.[7]
- 30 Kitchener/Bramalea GO Bus[8] service between Kitchener GO Station and the Bramalea GO Station.[8]
Coach Canada
- Megabus[9] service to Hamilton GO Centre
References
- 1 2 "Charles Street Transit Terminal". Terminals. GRT. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Kitchener - Charles" (PDF). Platform layouts. GRT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2015.
- ↑ "Service Changes Starting April 8". GO Transit. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ↑ "200" (PDF). Schedules. GRT. 16 January 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2015.
Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal
- ↑ "204" (PDF). Schedules. GRT. 16 January 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2015.
The Boardwalk - Ottawa/Lackner
- ↑ Greyhound Canada QuickLink
- 1 2 Go Bus Schedule Route 25, Waterloo - Mississauga at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2017)
- 1 2 GO Train and Bus Schedule - Kitchener at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2017)
- ↑ "Agents / Stop Locations". Coach Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
Kitchener Transit Centre. megabus.com tickets sold here
External links
Media related to Charles Street Transit Terminal at Wikimedia Commons