University of Waterloo station

University of Waterloo is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.[1] It is located on the Waterloo Spur rail line, between Columbia Street and University Avenue. It opened in 2019.

University of Waterloo
Station structurally complete, November 2017
LocationWaterloo, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43.47312°N 80.54107°W / 43.47312; -80.54107
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections GRT buses 201, 9, 13, 19, 31
GO Transit
Greyhound buses
Laurel Trail / Trans Canada Trail
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
StatusLRT platform complete; bus terminal under construction
History
OpenedJune 21, 2019 (2019-06-21)
Services
Preceding station Grand River Transit Following station
Research and Technology
toward Conestoga
 Ion Laurier–Waterloo Park
toward Fairway

Overview

Located on the campus of the University of Waterloo, the station primarily serves students and employees of the university. The main campus is on the west side of the station, with additional engineering buildings to the southeast and administration buildings to the northeast. In addition, a major bus terminal is under construction along an access road to the east, which will serve Grand River Transit, GO Transit, and Greyhound coaches.

The station's feature wall consists of glass tiles in a pattern of black, blue, gray, and white.

Access to the platform is from both ends: from the north, directly from the bus terminal road; to the south, there is access to the Laurel Trail on the west side of the tracks only.

The southbound track is also used by freight trains on the Waterloo Spur line, which serves industrial locations in Elmira. These trains only run in the overnight hours after LRT service has halted. To protect the station structure (and the trains themselves), a gauntlet track is in place alongside this station that offsets the freight track a small distance.

History

Before construction of the light rail station, GRT and intercity bus services had been slowly intensifying at a set of stops along the east end of the University of Waterloo's Ring Road near the Davis Centre building, most significantly Grand River Transit (including the 200 iXpress bus which was the predecessor of the Ion light rail system), GO Transit's 25 Waterloo–Mississauga intercity bus route,[2] and the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association's Fed Bus service.[3]

In 2016, with light rail infrastructure under construction, an adjacent dedicated bus station was announced. It would be east of the rail line and accessed from Phillip Street, shifting some buses off Ring Road and onto public roadways.[4] Later, in 2020, it was announced that over $3 million[5] in additional provincial, federal, and regional funding had been granted for amenities at the new bus station. This would include several heated waiting shelters and bike storage facilities.[6]

References
  1. "University of Waterloo". About ION. GrandLinq Contractors. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  2. "GO Transit". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  3. "Fed Bus". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  4. Sivaloganathan, Sujan (22 November 2016). "Next stop: University of Waterloo Transit Station". Imprint. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  5. Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure (16 June 2020). "Canada and Ontario invest in public transit and active transportation infrastructure to support Waterloo Region residents". Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  6. Bueckert, Kate (16 June 2020). "Transit projects to get $25M from federal and provincial governments". CBC.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2020.


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