Ion rapid transit
| Basic data | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
|---|---|
| city | Waterloo , Kitchener , Cambridge ( Waterloo Region ) |
| Transport network | Grand River Transit |
| opening | June 21, 2019 |
| Lines | 1 |
| Route length | 19 km (stage 1) 37 km (after stage 2) |
| Stations | 19 (6 of 19 stations only serve in one direction; stage 1) |
| use | |
| vehicles | Flexity Freedom |
| operator | GrandLinq |
| Power system | 750 V direct current overhead line |
Ion is the name of a light rail system that is partly under construction in the Waterloo Region (a regional municipality ) in the Canadian province of Ontario . The Waterloo region describes the light rail service as "rapid transit". A light rail line is planned to connect the three neighboring cities of Waterloo , Kitchener and Cambridge . The Waterloo Region will build Ion in two stages. The first stage between the city of Waterloo and Kitchener has a length of 19 km. The second stage is planned between Kitchener and Cambridge. After the second stage, the line will be 37 km long.
("Waterloo" is the name of the region and also the name of a city in the region.)
The first stage between Waterloo (city) and Kitchener has been under construction since 2014. The opening of the first stage was initially expected at the end of 2017, but delivery problems for Bombardier's Flexity Freedom vehicles became known in May 2016, so that the opening was expected in December 2018 as a result. The Waterloo Region received its fourteenth and final vehicle from Bombardier in June 2018; followed by a six-month test of the new vehicles. The line opened on June 21, 2019.
Stations
In the first stage there are 19 stations along the line, but only 16 destinations. Six (three pairs) of these stations only serve the trams in one direction. For example: Near City Hall, one must go to Kitchener City Hall station along Duke Street to take a tram north, or Victoria Park station along Charles Street to go south. Both stations are on parallel streets.
| station | city | investment | crossing | links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conestoga | Waterloo | Conestoga Mall Transit Terminal: Grand River Transit and iXpress buses | ||
| Northfield | Waterloo | GEXR (railway) | Northfield Dr | Parking and traveling |
| Research + Technology | Waterloo | GEXR | Wes Graham Way | |
| University of Waterloo | Waterloo | GEXR | ||
| Laurier Waterloo Park | Waterloo | GEXR | Seagram Dr | |
| Waterloo Public Square (northbound) |
Waterloo | GEXR | King St | |
| Willis Way (southbound) |
Waterloo | Caroline St. | Willis Way | |
| Everyone | Waterloo | King St | Allen St. | |
| Grand River Hospital | Kitchener | King St | Pine St | |
| Central Station - Innovation District | Kitchener | King St | Victoria St | Kitchener Station: GO Transit , VIA Rail |
| Kitchener City Hall (northbound) |
Kitchener | Duke St. | Young St | |
| Victoria Park (southbound) |
Kitchener | Charles st | Gaukel St | |
| Frederick (northbound) |
Kitchener | Frederick St. | King St | |
| Queen (south facing) |
Kitchener | Charles st | Queen St | |
| Kitchener Market | Kitchener | Charles st | Cedar St | |
| Borden | Kitchener | Charles st | Borden Ave | |
| Mill | Kitchener | CN (railway) | Ottawa St Mill St |
|
| Block line | Kitchener | Courtland Ave | Block Line Rd | |
| Fairway | Kitchener | Bus Rapid Transit to Ainslie St. Transit Terminal (Cambridge) |
Railway system
The light rail system uses the Goderich – Exeter Railway (GEXR) between the Northfield and Waterloo Public Square stations. Before the construction of the light rail, the railway line was single-track. This route was made double-track for light rail operations, and conventional rail operations were limited to the time from 01:00 to 05:00 at night.
Between Mill and Block Line stations, the light rail travels under the Conestoga Parkway on the Canadian National Railway (CN) facility, but the light rail uses its own tracks.
Between the other stations, the tram runs on or along a street on its own route, usually separate from car traffic.
vehicles
The Waterloo Region has ordered 14 Flexity Freedom vehicles from Bombardier . Each car has 56 seats and a capacity for 280 passengers. The first vehicle, Train 504, was delivered in December 2017 and has been running on the route in trial operation without passengers (as customers) since then. The driving speed is increased slowly. The main problem turned out to be to encourage drivers to behave correctly on the shared routes, e.g. B. not to park on the rails and the like.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ion launch date set for June 21 . In: Waterloo Region Record , May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ↑ a b What is Ion? (No longer available online.) 2015, archived from the original on June 18, 2015 ; accessed on June 15, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ion. 2015, accessed June 15, 2015 .
- ↑ LRT rollout delayed, Bombardier blamed. May 24, 2016, accessed May 24, 2016 .
- ↑ No LRT service until December. Waterloo Region Record, April 13, 2018, accessed June 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Popular Waterloo tourist train route cut short by LRT plan , Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , November 3, 2016
- ↑ Press release from Rapidtransit for the Waterloo region, December 2017
