Community Open House at ION Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility set for November 26

Waterloo Region – On Saturday, November 26, residents will get an opportunity to tour the ION Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility currently under construction and being readied for operations. The Community Open House will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 518 Dutton Drive in Waterloo.

The ION Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility will be the operational hub of the ION light rail transit (LRT) system. This facility will house the operations control centre for ION and will be the place where light rail vehicles are cleaned, maintained and stored when not in service.

During the Community Open House, residents can view several parts of the facility, including the maintenance bays and light rail vehicle car wash. Residents will also see the LRT infrastructure up-close, including the tracks and overhead catenary system that holds the wires that power the trains.

Staff from Rapid Transit, GrandLinq and Grand River Transit will be on hand to answer questions about ION LRT, construction and the Region’s public transit service. Residents are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes as the facility is large and part of the Community Open House will take place outside where the LRT tracks are.

Construction of the ION Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility began in August 2014. A grand opening of the new facility will take place in 2017. ION LRT service, which is part of Grand River Transit, is expected to begin in early-2018.

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For more information, please contact:

Avril Fisken, GrandLinq Community Relations, 519-546-8454 or avril.fisken@aecom.com

Kimberly Moser, ION Community Relations, 519-575-4757 ext. 3461 or kmoser@regionofwaterloo.ca