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. The dissenting vote was from Cambridge mayor Doug Craig. Other Cambridge-area representatives made dissenting votes alongside Craig on subsequent votes relating to the service's staging, feeling that initially running only buses to that city does them a disservice.
The Province of Ontario has promised it will fund up to two thirds of the cost of the construction of a light rail or bus rapid transit system in Waterloo Region.
During public consultation for the project, concerns related to the light rail proposal focussed on its relative service infrequency when compared with rapid transit systems in other cities (though it would still outperform the Region’s best bus services in its overall service capacity, and the frequency of many routes); 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 traditional streetcar networks of many European cities, and 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 trains.
Read more about this topic: Rapid Transit In Waterloo Region
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