Project Timeline

Below you can get a sense of where we are on the way to Light Rail in the region. This is TriTAG’s distillation of available information and is by no means official.

To date

  • January 2000: Grand River Transit takes over regional bus operations from Kitchener Transit and Cambridge Transit
  • September 2005: iXpress limited-stop bus service starts along the Central Transit Corridor, with 15 minute service during peak periods
  • January 2006: Rapid Transit Environmental Assessment started
  • June 2009: Council adopts new Regional Official Plan, which mandates a high level of reurbanization in accordance with Ontario’s Place to Grow initiative
  • June 2009: Rapid Transit Environmental Assessment is completed and Regional Council approves the staff-recommended Light Rail plan and route
  • 2010: The provincial government pledges $300 million and the federal government pledges $265 million to fund Light Rail construction
  • June 2011: Regional Council approves the construction of LRT in two stages
  • July 2013: The Region agrees to purchase 14 Light Rail vehicles (LRVs) from Bombardier
  • March 2014: The Regional Planning and Works Committee approves the staff recommendation to award the contract to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the LRT to GrandLinq
  • Spring 2014: Financial closure of the LRT contract and beginning of construction for both LRT and aBRT
  • August 2014: Groundbreaking for ION Light Rail
  • Spring 2015: aBRT service into Cambridge begins
  • Fall 2015: Transit Project Assessment for Phase 2 Light Rail into Cambridge begins

To come

  • Late 2016: Grand River Transit begins accepting electronic fares
  • Late 2016: Bombardier Flexity Freedom LRVs delivered to Waterloo for testing
  • March 2017: Completion ION Phase 2 to Cambridge Transit Plan Assessment
  • August 2017: Completion ION Phase 1 construction
  • Early 2018: Light Rail service begins