[timio]

Good to see, but the transit hub doesn't have funding yet IIRC.

You are correct. They've assembled most, if not all of the land, pending on if they've purchased the Beer Store property at King and the railway tracks. I can't recall if that's happened as of yet. But as for concrete plans beyond that, there's nothing public that I know of.

 

[TFC]

I'm 99.9% sure that the land assembly has been completed...all I'm lacking is a source.

 

[mpd618]

Region of Waterloo staff have recommended GrandLinq as the preferred consortium for the design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract for ION light rail, with a bid that is keeping the entire project under the $818m budget at this point. Details and full report are available from the Region, and coverage is in the Kitchener Post, The Record, and elsewhere.

It's going to Planning & Works committee on Tuesday, and for final approval at Regional Council on March 19. Utility relocation and other work have already been underway, but construction as part of the full contract will start in the summer, with the project still on schedule for a 2017 launch.

There are some damn-the-costs-cancel-the-LRT voices among candidates for the upcoming municipal election, but they have not gotten much traction.

If you haven't seen it, this short unofficial video is a good introduction to the ION route and the project as a whole.

 

[mpd618]

You are correct. They've assembled most, if not all of the land, pending on if they've purchased the Beer Store property at King and the railway tracks. I can't recall if that's happened as of yet. But as for concrete plans beyond that, there's nothing public that I know of.

Yes, they purchased the Beer Store property in 2012.

 

[drum118]

http://www.therecord.com/news-story...pivotal-vote-in-12-year-quest-for-light-rail/

3 hours ago | Vote2 6
Region faces pivotal vote in 12-year quest for light rail

Light rail

Mathew McCarthy,Record staff file photoDarrel Long walks through an Ion light rail vehicle on display in Waterloo last fall.




nextplay/pausepre

1/2​

By Paige Desmond
WATERLOO REGION — On April 10, 2002, Region of Waterloo planners unveiled a "transformational project" to spur intensification in city cores using rapid transit.
RELATED STORIES

Top LRT bid comes in under budget

Entitled Waterloo Region in the 21st Century … Planning our future, the document set the groundwork for the rapid transit system proposed today.
The initial pitch was a $256-million, 10-kilometre light rail link between Kitchener and Waterloo, with the region's share of costs about $64 million. The rest they hoped would be covered by federal infrastructure money and private partners.
It included seven trains and fulfilled transit hopes dating back to 1976.
Fast forward to 2014.
On Tuesday, regional councillors will vote on a $532-million construction contract to be awarded to a private construction consortium to build the system, now called the Ion.
It's a pivotal vote that will lead to tracks in the streets and is seen by many as the point of no return.
But confusion about what the rapid transit project is and opposition to it remain 12 years, thousands of public comments, three elections and millions of dollars since the first modest pitch.
"I don't think we realized back in 2002, 2003, 2004 how contentious it would be," said chief administrative officer Mike Murray.
The rapid transit project will see light rail trains travel 19 kilometres from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park mall in Kitchener starting in 2017.
The trip from Waterloo to Kitchener will include 16 stops and take about 45 minutes, said Thomas Schmidt, commissioner of transportation and environmental services.
From there, express buses will travel about 17 kilometres to the Ainslie Street transit terminal in Cambridge, a trip planners say with take about 33 minutes.
Cambridge will receive express buses and 10 years of funding to build ridership ahead of a future extension of the line to the Ainslie Street terminal.
A key criticism of rapid transit has been that it won't meet ridership goals.
"I will absolutely agree with those people who are opposed to this when they make the comment that we don't need this," Coun. Jim Wideman said. "If they mean by that we don't need it today, they're absolutely right.
"But we need it for tomorrow and all of the tomorrows in the future."
Residents currently use two Grand River Transit routes travelling a path similar to the future train route about 20,000 times each day.
Grand River Transit service is being expanded ahead of the system's launch. Buses are intended to feed the rapid transit system along the line, connecting the entire region with an integrated system.
"It is not just about connecting the malls. In fact, there's probably going to be very few people that make that full trip," Schmidt said. "It's going to be the connections in between that are important."
Politicians have two goals with rapid transit: move people, and focus growth and development to city cores.
"Everyone understands it's not a cheap project, even those of us who are supportive of it understand that," Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said. "The alternative to not doing this is equally expensive or potentially even more expensive and you still have transportation gridlock and congestion."
More people on trains means less traffic congestion and fewer new roads as the region grows.
Planners see it as a way to shape the community, limiting expansion into the countryside by re-focusing development along the transit line.
Encouraging core intensification was one of the key factors in choosing light rail trains over an expanded express bus service.
Critics argue an expanded bus service would move people efficiently and at a fraction of the cost. That option was examined as part of several studies completed by regional planners and consultants.
When senior governments declined to fund rapid transit in 2002, they agreed to pay for more studies. They wanted the region to better focus its plan.
A cost-benefit analysis in a study concluded in 2005 found express buses have a higher return on investment than trains. It said trains would work and are better at bringing development and people to city cores, but at greater cost.
A third study completed in 2009 said buses provide the "best return for dollar spent." That was with the caveat that the goal is only to move people; it agreed trains were better at attracting intensification.
"There's no question (the) driving force was the recognition of how it would help to shape the community, coming back to the adage of development follows rails they don't follow rubber tires," Wideman said.
One of the most controversial components of the plan has been the cost.
The region says it will cost $818 million to build the light rail transit system. That includes about $20 million for Cambridge to run express buses and build ridership.
Aside from the estimated $532-million contract to build the system, the $818 million pays for consultants, utility relocations and several other related costs.
It will cost about $1.9 billion to build, finance, design, operate and maintain the rapid transit system over a 30-year period, according to a report released Friday.
Since 2011, the average regional taxpayer paid $219 toward launching rail transit and expanding buses. By 2019, it's estimated the average regional taxpayer will have paid more than $1,000 and annual taxes will be about $200 per year higher than in 2011.
In 2008, the province pledged to pay up to two-thirds of rapid transit costs. Documents obtained by The Record several years later showed that pledge was based on estimated project costs of $260 million.
That same year, the region ranked light rail transit as its top choice in six of seven potential rapid transit options.
In 2009, an approximate $790-million plan for the system was unveiled at council. It was endorsed that June.
The province altered its funding commitment in 2010, changing the pledge to $300 million and the federal government committed to pay one-third of project costs, up to $265 million.
With funding commitments set and a light rail plan endorsed, interest from the general public started to heat up. As early as 2003, bus and monorail advocates tried to win regional officials over and away from light rail.
But as the project evolved, candidates took aim at the plan, arguing it was too expensive and wouldn't get people to give up their cars, according to media reports.
In 2006, candidates found themselves weighing in on the project for the second time. But the 2010 election was an entirely different monster.
"There's no question that it was in 2010 when it was most intense. It was front and centre during that election and I always do a lot of door-to-door and there's no question that it was the primary issue at every door that I went to," Wideman said.
Local transit supporters and opposition started organizing in 2009, ahead of the 2010 vote. Taxpayers for Sensible Transit, an opposition group, and others in the community called for a referendum.
Coun. Tom Galloway said not calling a referendum was the right decision.
"I don't think referendums generally serve a good purpose," he said. "It's so difficult for people to get both sides of the issue out to people — the pros and the cons."
The Tri-Cities Transport Action Group formed in May 2009 in response to the anti-light rail lobby.
"We were very concerned about the uninformed opposition that was starting to build," said Tim Mollison of Tri-Tag. "We got together and saw this as an opportunity to promote walking, cycling and better transit through this large project."
For the fourth consecutive election, rapid transit will be a key issue when voters go to the polls Oct. 27.
At least one election candidate is campaigning to stop it. Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig tried to get information on cancellation costs and suggested scaling the project back.
Supporters say cancelling light rail would be throwing away millions of dollars. About $200 million had been spent or committed on the project as of January.
Various petitions and other movements have been organized, many based on concerns about cost.
"Some people clearly are concerned about the property tax impacts of this," Schmidt said. "Some people out there have given the impression that if you cancel Ion somehow or the other, there's a do-nothing option, a don't-spend-any-money option.
"That option really from our planning perspective doesn't exist."
On June 15, 2011, councillors voted 9-2 in favour of rapid transit.
Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran, who will not seek re-election, and Cambridge Coun. Claudette Millar voted against.
Craig, Chair Ken Seiling, North Dumfries Mayor Rob Deutschmann and Galloway did not vote due to conflicts of interest due to property they, their family members or employers owned along the route.
Coun. Jane Brewer was absent, but said later she would have voted in favour.
In February 2012, politicians voted 8-1 to enter into a public-private partnership that will see a consortium of companies design, build, finance, operate and maintain the rail system. Coun. Jean Haalboom voted against.
The choice was made on the argument it transfers risk to the private partner and away from the region, while also bringing expertise the region doesn't have.
Seven consortiums responded to a prequalification call. Three shortlisted bidders were chosen to respond to a request for proposals.
That brought the region to where it is today, expected to vote at 3 p.m. Tuesday on whether to award a construction contract for light rail.
Should the plan go ahead, construction would begin this summer, posing an entirely new set of challenges.
"It is a big project, it's a huge project and there will be inconvenience," Zehr said. "Whenever that happens there will be frustration, there will be cursing this project and, like so many other major projects, when it's all done they'll see that was worth it."
Wideman said he's willing to forge ahead with the controversial plan despite opposition.
"When you're an elected official there are times in history when you say, you know we believe we're at a crossroads in our community and this is the route that we should be taking," he said. "You work hard to try and bring the public along because you're convinced that this is the right thing to do and you put everything on the line and this is one of those times."

With Record files
pdesmond@therecord.com ; Twitter: @DesmondRecord
Light rail transit facts
• Light rail trains will travel 19 kilometres from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park mall in Kitchener starting in 2017.
• Twelve trains will run at peak times, about every eight minutes. The trains will run every 10 to 15 minutes at off-peak times and won't run between 1 and 5 a.m.
• Trains are to be low-floor models which are accessible, and the tracks will be embedded into the street.
• The trains are to have two driver's cabs and three sections in between. Bombardier is supplying the trains and says capacity is about 250 people.
• There will be 56 regular seats, eight flip-up seats and four wheelchair spots on each of the trains.
• Planners expect residents to use rapid transit about 26,000 times per day at project launch.
•Light rail tracks are embedded in road pavement, not raised like train tracks. "You will be able to take your wheelchair across, you'll be able to wheel a wheelchair into the car without any assistance," said Coun. Jim Wideman.

 

[Hipster Duck]

This is all great news. Still, it's been years since the EA was approved and the funding was offered by higher governments. They've also done some preliminary utility work and expropritation/demolition - but that was over a year ago, too. What's taken them so long to finally settle on a consortium?

 

[junctionist]

As long as they get to work now, it doesn't matter. Hamilton's media and political opposition to LRT, on the other hand, is unfortunate. That city needs the kind of quality transit that LRT can provide and could really benefit in terms of revitalizing the inner city.

 

[ehlow]

I actually thought it was a done deal years ago when I was living in Waterloo and the region approved it.

 

[dunkalunk]

It was. At that time however, details surrounding how it would be built and financed had not yet been determined. The region put out a RFP for design, build, finance, operations and maintenance shortly after deciding to proceed with that model in early 2012. What's happening now is the awarding of the contract.

A good backgrounder (PDF) on the history and purpose of the project can be found here

 

[nfitz]

What's happening now is the awarding of the contract.

With federal and provincial funding in place, no significant political drive in Waterloo Region to cancel the project, and the low bid coming in on the low side, the council vote should be rubber stamping.

 

[ehlow]

GRT seems to have improved a lot since a few years ago, now that there are multiple iXpress routes.

I do want to comment though that one of the biggest benefits of LRT is that it's on its own right-of-way, it can never be slowed down by traffic since it has its own lane. However, there really is no traffic in Waterloo along the King St spine as far as I can tell. I was driving around uptown Waterloo at 5pm on a weekday and noticed the complete lack of traffic compared to Toronto. The other thing about KW is that there is tons of free parking everywhere, which takes away another incentive to use transit.

Having said that, it's probably better to build transit before traffic is a problem instead of after like Toronto has. I support the LRT due to all the reasons the PDF you posted listed, and the fact that it provides a higher quality ride to the iXpress & 7 riders, which there are a lot of. There also seems to be the trend of tech companies moving their offices to more urban areas like downtown Kitchener, although there are still many workplaces in office parks surrounded by parking lots.

 

[TFC]

GRT seems to have improved a lot since a few years ago, now that there are multiple iXpress routes.

I do want to comment though that one of the biggest benefits of LRT is that it's on its own right-of-way, it can never be slowed down by traffic since it has its own lane. However, there really is no traffic in Waterloo along the King St spine as far as I can tell. I was driving around uptown Waterloo at 5pm on a weekday and noticed the complete lack of traffic compared to Toronto. The other thing about KW is that there is tons of free parking everywhere, which takes away another incentive to use transit.

Having said that, it's probably better to build transit before traffic is a problem instead of after like Toronto has. I support the LRT due to all the reasons the PDF you posted listed, and the fact that it provides a higher quality ride to the iXpress & 7 riders, which there are a lot of. There also seems to be the trend of tech companies moving their offices to more urban areas like downtown Kitchener, although there are still many workplaces in office parks surrounded by parking lots.

This isn't entirely accurate. There is traffic along King Street, especially during rush hours. I've been on multiple ixpress buses that took 40 mins to travel between UW and downtown Kitchener. University Ave, Uptown and even downtown can really get clogged during rush hour. With the LRT in place and its own ROW, things should be much better.

Besides free 2-hour on-street parking in some locations, I don't believe that there are any free surface parking lots open to the public. Yes, rates are lower than in the GTA, but there aren't swaths of free parking.

 

[ehlow]

This isn't entirely accurate. There is traffic along King Street, especially during rush hours. I've been on multiple ixpress buses that took 40 mins to travel between UW and downtown Kitchener. University Ave, Uptown and even downtown can really get clogged during rush hour. With the LRT in place and its own ROW, things should be much better.

Besides free 2-hour on-street parking in some locations, I don't believe that there are any free surface parking lots open to the public. Yes, rates are lower than in the GTA, but there aren't swaths of free parking.

Maybe traffic has gotten much worse since a couple of years ago? I used to drive on King through uptown Waterloo and never felt there was much traffic.

In uptown, you can always park for free either in the giant parking lot near the small mall near King, or on a parking lot in Regina. Most restaurants have parking lots as well.

Of course, KW also has a massive student population where most don't own a car.

 

[nfitz]

In uptown, you can always park for free either in the giant parking lot near the small mall near King, or on a parking lot in Regina. Most restaurants have parking lots as well.

There perhaps, but I don't recall parking downtown for free for years ... or at the hospital.

 

[mpd618]

This is all great news. Still, it's been years since the EA was approved and the funding was offered by higher governments. They've also done some preliminary utility work and expropritation/demolition - but that was over a year ago, too. What's taken them so long to finally settle on a consortium?

Basically, the complexity of P3, in which tons of the work has to be done upfront so all the correct incentives / mechanisms are in place for the project to be done right. It's design-build-finance-operate-maintain, with 30-year financing and refurbishment and 10-year renewable operation & maintenance portion. They took quite a while to pre-qualify consortia and put together the RFP, which was released just about a year ago. 8 months or so for bid preparation, a couple of months for evaluation, and here we are.

They took a reasonable amount out of the RFP to get it started earlier. So vehicles were purchased through the Metrolinx order, a fair amount of hydro and telecommunications utility relocation has been taking place over the last year, the Highway 7/8 underpass has been included with highway widening work, and hydro undergrounding work parallel to Fairway Road (where LRT will travel in a hydro corridor) is now underway.

Having said that, it's probably better to build transit before traffic is a problem instead of after like Toronto has. I support the LRT due to all the reasons the PDF you posted listed, and the fact that it provides a higher quality ride to the iXpress & 7 riders, which there are a lot of. There also seems to be the trend of tech companies moving their offices to more urban areas like downtown Kitchener, although there are still many workplaces in office parks surrounded by parking lots.

This is where Waterloo Region is going with the project. It's designed to attract growth to existing urban cores, and to handle the resulting transportation demand along the central corridor. There are already a few hundred million dollars worth of development occurring in LRT station areas, a fair amount explicitly spurred by the project. The Region is also fighting hard against the OMB and greenfield developers to be able to implement its desired firm countryside lines - it really has a lot invested in growth management.

Kitchener-Waterloo has the previous history of having built the K-W Expressway (Conestoga Parkway), which was not a response to the needs of the 1960s (when it was being planned) but to the projected needs of the 1980s.