The Regional Council of Waterloo, Ontario has approved a light rail transit system as the ‘preferred’ transport option between Conestoga Mall in the city of Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener.
An adapted bus rapid transit from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal was also approved instead of a rail link due to lack of passenger demand.
The LRT system will be built in two stages: Stage 1 will include LRT from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall and adapted bus rapid transit (aBRT) from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal.
Stage 2 will include a reassessment of a 17km extension of the line to the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge in 2014. Should it be necessary, the extension will replace the bus service.
The line is set to open in 2017 and will be 19km long. The route will include 18 stops with services running at 7.5 minute intervals during peak hours.
Non-peak services will run around once every 15 minutes meaning the journey time between the two destinations will be nearly 10 minutes faster than the current bus system.
“Over the last 10 years, the rapid transit team has put in a huge amount of work to provide the basis for tonight’s landmark decision, said Mike Murray, Chief Administrative Officer.
“This decision is one more critical element in the Region’s integrated approach to planning for a vibrant, prosperous and sustainable community. We look forward to working with the area municipalities, and all our community partners, as we proceed with the implementation of this transformational project.”
Light Rail Transit will be ‘truly transformational’ for Waterloo Region. In the Regional Growth Management Strategy, as well as in the Places to Grow Growth Plan, LRT was identified as one of the key catalysts to support ‘downtown revitalisation and control urban sprawl in the region’.
