Ion rapid transit


Ion, stylized as ION, is an integrated public transportation network in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Keolis and is part of the Grand River Transit system, partially replacing GRT's Route 200 iXpress bus service. The section of the bus route serving Cambridge has been renamed "Ion Bus", and renumbered as 302. The first phase commenced operations on June 21, 2019, between the north end of Waterloo and the south end of Kitchener. In 2023, Ion LRT had an annual ridership of 4.3 million, and a daily ridership of 11,780.
In 2009, an Environmental Assessment began to create a proposal of electrically powered light rail transit through Kitchener and Waterloo, and adapted bus rapid transit from Kitchener to Cambridge. On June 24, 2009, Regional Council voted to approve the project, subject to funding from higher levels of government, which was in turn approved by council on June 15, 2011. This was followed by a community building strategy to guide development, identify key destinations, and strengthen regional connections. The strategy, led by Urban Strategies Inc. of Toronto, consulted hundreds of individuals and stakeholders from Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.
Construction began in August 2014 and service was expected to begin in late 2017; however, because of delays in the manufacture and delivery of rolling stock, the introduction of the light rail service was significantly delayed. The total cost of the system was estimated at $818 million, but in December 2017, the overruns were estimated to total approximately $50 million. The provincial government was expected to provide $25 million of that amount.
A future extension of light rail to the downtown Galt area of Cambridge is planned but construction may not begin on that line until 2028. In 2025, the Cambridge City Council proposed the idea of using bus rapid transit instead of LRT to save costs and to keep options open. Disability rights movement advocates argue that light rail transit to and from Conestoga Mall and Ainslie St. Transit Terminal would increase accessibility, reduce wait times, and decrease traffic congestion. In November 2025, the Region of Waterloo council approved the LRT extension to downtown Cambridge instead of the BRT option, citing 78% of the 2,500 residents supported the LRT extension in a survey. The extension is projected to add 17 km of tracks from Fairview to downtown Cambridge in 29 minutes, with trains running every 7 minutes.
According to the Region of Waterloo, the Ion network is named after the charged atom, which it describes as being “always in motion”.

History

Initial studies

In 2004, the Regional Municipality began an Individual 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 EA took 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 EA as planned consisted of three phases:
Phase 1: Determine a preferred transportation strategy from options such as road expansion, improved conventional transit, and rapid transit. Phase 1 was completed in July 2006.
Phase 2:
Phase 3: Design an implementation plan for the rapid transit system.
In June 2008, the Province of Ontario announced a new expedited Transit Project Assessment Process. In August 2008, the Region notified the Ministry of the Environment to advise that it would transition from the Individual Environmental Assessment to the expedited process. For that reason, Phase 3 of the Individual EA would not be completed.
On June 24, 2009, Regional Council approved the initiative and continued discussions with Provincial and Federal governments to obtain funding for the $790-million project. Light Rail Transit was short-listed as the technology for the new rapid transit system. The Region decided on a staged approach, building light rail from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall, passing through Uptown Waterloo and Downtown Kitchener on the way. Adapted Bus Rapid Transit would be built from Fairview Park Mall to Ainslie Street terminal in Cambridge utilizing shoulder bypass lanes along Highways 8 and 401 during heavy traffic where speeds are often or less. As of June 2019, there is still no specific timeline for replacing the aBRT service to Cambridge with light rail.
In May 2009, a Facebook group named "I Support Light Rail Transit in the Region of Waterloo" was created, and boasted over 1,600 members. Shortly after its creation, the group creator and other LRT supporters formed the "Tri-Cities Transport Action Group". According to its website, TriTAG supports LRT as a needed method of shaping development, meeting future capacity needs, protecting the environment, and providing the most economical solution for transportation in the Region. Six months after founding, TriTAG launched an email campaign to allow supporters of LRT to email their MPs, MPPs, and other government officials such as the federal and provincial Ministers of Transportation. Within a few days, thousands of emails had been sent. For the 2010 Regional Budget, TriTAG and its supporters presented to the Regional Budget Committee regarding various areas of transportation funding. While the focus was not on LRT, the delegates spoke about the importance of proper transportation infrastructure on a successful LRT system. TriTAG continued their support of the project into the bid stage in 2014; a notable contribution was a video outlining the landmarks and amenities that the route will access. Proponents asserted that the region's plans for rapid transit will be an essential component of planning and rationally controlling the Region's growth.

Approved light rail system

On June 24, 2009, Regional Council approved LRT as the technology for rapid transit in Waterloo Region. Regional Council also approved a recommendation to implement the system in stages because ridership, development potential and capital and operating costs vary along the route.
The light rail system was approved by Regional Council with a vote of 15–1. Cambridge mayor Doug Craig cast the dissenting vote. Other Cambridge-area representatives joined Craig in voting against subsequent motions on the service's staging, feeling that running only buses to that city does them a disservice.
The Province of Ontario had promised to fund up to two thirds of the cost of the construction of a light rail or bus rapid transit system in Waterloo Region.
However, in the summer of 2010, actual funding commitments from higher levels of government for the combined LRT and aBRT system were announced: $300 million from the province of Ontario, and $265 million from the federal government. The provincial figure was disappointing to supporters, as the provincial government had previously promised to pay 2/3 of the cost. Regional council debated funding the remaining $200–300 million required for the project to go ahead as planned.
During public consultation for the project, concerns related to the light rail proposal focused on its relative service infrequency when compared with rapid transit systems in other cities ; the projected service frequency will be approximately 7.5 minutes. In addition, a light rail line would be limited by the narrow main streets of key downtown areas. A feasible proposal raised by the Region for dealing with this challenge would be to have light rail vehicles share space with traffic within core areas, somewhat resembling the streetcar network of nearby Toronto. A bus rapid transit line would also face the challenge of the cramped core areas, and thus would also likely share space with traffic in core areas.
In late 2011, planning was well underway and preparations were being made. In October, a property on Dutton Drive in Waterloo, bordering the rail-line corridor where the LRT is planned to be installed, was purchased to serve as a maintenance and storage yard for the system's LRVs. The site, which was purchased for $6 million, will contain three buildings: the largest is and will house the operations centre and a repair shop; one will include a washing system; and the third is a wayside maintenance building that will house the repair truck fleet.

Staging

The Region approved a staged implementation plan for its rapid transit system:
Stage 1 – Implementation of LRT north of Fairview Park Mall and adapted Bus Rapid
Transit south of Fairview Park Mall, including:
  • LRT from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener;
  • Adapted Bus Rapid Transit from Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener to Ainslie Street Terminal in downtown Cambridge
  • Re-aligned Grand River Transit bus service to provide an expanded level of service to the rapid transit stations along primary feeder corridors;
  • Express bus service, modelled after the current iXpress service, to high ridership centres throughout the Region ;
  • Connections to intercity transit such as GO Transit, Greyhound, and Via Rail.
The stage 1 route is long.
Stage 2 – Completion of a light rail transit system from Fairview Park in Kitchener to Ainslie Street in Cambridge. Commencement of Stage 2 to follow completion of Stage 1 as closely as possible.

Opposition

A group opposed to the rapid transit proposal, called "Taxpayers for Sensible Transit", was formed in June 2009. According to its website, T4ST opposes LRT as being a proposal too big and too expensive for the region, which will hurt businesses and the local economy. Taxpayers for Sensible Transit did not present a position regarding transportation and transit funding for the 2010 Regional Budget.
In September 2013 Doug Craig, the mayor of Cambridge, called for examining the cost of cancelling the light rail line.
He justified this examination due to doubts by Toronto politicians over its light rail line.
On November 19, 2013, it was reported that Craig was working to "extricate" Cambridge from any obligation to pay for the line connecting it to Kitchener, while, at the same time, trying to argue for connecting Cambridge to Toronto, via a GO line.