Province confirms commitment to ION Stage 1 rapid transit

Waterloo Region – Today, Glen Murray, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure, presented Ken Seiling, Regional Chair, with the final funding agreement that will provide the Region of Waterloo with $300 million from the Government of Ontario for ION Stage 1 rapid transit.

The final agreement marks yet another milestone in the implementation of ION, the Region’s rapid transit service, and follows Regional Council’s decision on March 19 to approve GrandLinq as the preferred team to design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) ION Stage 1 LRT.

“This commitment is the single largest transit infrastructure investment in the Region of Waterloo’s history and demonstrates Ontario’s dedication to public transit in one of the largest and fastest-growing urban areas in the province,” said Glen Murray, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure.

All three levels of government are funding ION Stage 1, including today’s confirmation of $300 million from the Province, one-third of eligible costs up to $265 million from the federal government and $253 million from the Region.

“The Province continues to support the growth management strategies of this Region,” said Ken Seiling, Regional Chair.  “Its agreement to fund $300 million of our rapid transit project reflects Ontario’s strong commitment to managing the growth that we are experiencing here in Waterloo Region to ensure a healthy and economically vibrant region.”

ION will provide a frequent, reliable and convenient way for residents to travel throughout the Region. With 200,000 new residents expected to move to the Region of Waterloo in the next 20 years, ION will also shape the community by encouraging development in existing urban areas, limiting urban sprawl and protecting the region’s farmland by preserving the environment.

The service will be implemented in two stages. Stage 1 is a 36-kilometre corridor that includes 19 kilometres of LRT from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener and 17 kilometres of adapted Bus Rapid Transit (aBRT) from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge. Stage 2 will see the aBRT route converted to LRT, creating a 37 kilometre route of LRT across the three urban centres.

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For more information please contact:

Bryan Stortz, Director of Corporate Communications, 519-575-4408