The consortium named GrandLinq is the successful bidder [1] to build and operate the Ion rapid transit system in Waterloo Region, Ontario. [2] GrandLinq was one of three groups invited to bid on the system in February 2013. [3] [4] GrandLinq's partners include: Plenary Group Canada; Meridiam Infrastructure Waterloo; Aecon; Kiewit; Mass Electric Construction Canada; Keolis; STV Canada Construction; AECOM; and CIBC World Markets. [2]
In 2012, seven groups of partners indicated an interest in bidding on the system. [5] In February, GrandLinq and two other groups, Tricity Transit System and Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Transit Partners, were chosen as those which would be invited to submit proposals. In June the formal request for proposal was issued, and the three groups had until December to complete their bids.
In March 2014, GrandLinq was identified as the preferred bidder in the staff report on the final bids, and approved by the Region's Planning and Works committee. Regional Council gave final approval on March 19, with financial close being made May 9. [6]
Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about 100 km (62 mi) west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a 1916 referendum changed its name. The city covers an area of 136.86 km2, and had a population of 256,885 at the time of the 2021 Canadian census.
Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 census. Along with Kitchener and Waterloo, Cambridge is one of the three core cities of Canada's tenth-largest metropolitan area.
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Kitchener, the largest city, is the seat of government.
Grand River Transit (GRT) is the public transport operator for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, alongside the Ion rapid transit light rail system which began service on June 21, 2019.
Galt is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario on the Grand River. Prior to 1973, it was an independent city, incorporated in 1915, but amalgamation with the town of Hespeler, Ontario, the town of Preston, Ontario and the village of Blair formed the new municipality of Cambridge. Parts of the surrounding townships were also included. The first mayor of Cambridge was Claudette Millar.
Preston is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario. Prior to 1973 it was an independent town, incorporated in 1915, but amalgamation with the town of Hespeler, Ontario, the city of Galt, Ontario and the village of Blair formed the new municipality of Cambridge. Parts of the surrounding townships were also included. No population data is available for the former Preston since the Census reports cover only the full area of Cambridge, though the combined population of the census tracts covering the majority of Preston reported a population of 20,008 as of the 2016 Canada Census. The first mayor of Cambridge was Claudette Millar.
The Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway was a street railway in Berlin and Waterloo in Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada. Horsecar service began in 1888 under the original Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway name and continued until the system was electrified in 1895, when the existing horsecars were converted for electric service. This proved ineffective, and the company suffered from under-investment. In 1896, a local consortium bought out the company and purchased a new fleet of purpose-built electric trams. The system was municipalized in 1907 and was run by the Town of Berlin/Kitchener until the end of service. The railway was renamed in 1919 to reflect the name change of the City of Kitchener, which had occurred in 1916. In 1927, it was reorganized under the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission, which continued operations until 1946, when streetcar service was discontinued and replaced with trolleybus service.
Ion, stylized as ION, is an integrated public transportation network in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Keolis and is part of the Grand River Transit (GRT) system, partially replacing GRT's Route 200 iXpress bus service. The section of the bus route serving Cambridge has been renamed "Ion Bus", and renumbered as 302. The first phase commenced operations on June 21, 2019, between the north end of Waterloo and the south end of Kitchener. A future extension of light rail to the downtown Galt area of Cambridge is planned but construction may not begin on that line until 2025.
The Charles Street Transit Terminal is a former bus terminal in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is the former downtown hub for local Grand River Transit (GRT) bus services for Kitchener and Waterloo, although the terminal now sits vacant and mostly abandoned.
The Ainslie St. Transit Terminal is a bus station and terminal in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the core of Galt, a former city which is now a community within Cambridge.
Conestoga station is located beside the King Street entrance on the westerly side of Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, Ontario. This facility operates as a major transit terminal for Grand River Transit (GRT) buses, with all of the routes that it serves terminating here. Perth County Connect buses, serving Stratford, Perth County and London, also serve the station via a stop on King Street.
The Bombardier Flexity Freedom is a low-floor, articulated light rail vehicle developed by Bombardier Transportation for the North American market. It is marketed as part of the Bombardier Flexity family which includes other models of trams (streetcars) and light metro vehicles. They are produced in facilities in Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, which once produced rolling stock under the names of Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) and Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), respectively.
Plenary Group is an Australian infrastructure investment business specialising in public–private partnerships. It was founded in 2004 by three former ABN Amro employees with Deutsche Bank taking a 20% shareholding.
Central Station is a light rail station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, which is planned to be expanded into an intermodal transit terminal. As of 2021, it consists of an Ion light rail stop and Grand River Transit bus stops. The site is planned to also include a train station served by Via Rail and GO Transit, and an intercity bus terminal.
Kitchener Market is a stop on the Ion rapid transit system in the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Cedar Hill neighbourhood at the intersection of Charles and Cedar streets, about 100 metres (330 ft) south of its namesake, the Kitchener Farmer's Market. The station initially had a working name of Cedar, and it opened in 2019.
University of Waterloo is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Waterloo Spur rail line, between Columbia Street and University Avenue. It opened in 2019, and an attached bus terminal opened in 2022.
Grand River Hospital is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system. It is located in the median of King Street in Kitchener, between Pine and Mount Hope Streets, just north of its namesake, the KW Site of Grand River Hospital. It opened in 2019.
Mill is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system. It is located southeast of the intersection of Ottawa and Mill Streets in Kitchener, alongside the CN Huron Subdivision. It opened on June 21, 2019.
Fairway is a light rail station and bus station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system. The station is located just off Wilson Avenue between Fairway Road and Kingsway Drive, adjacent to the Fairview Park Mall. Fairway is the southern terminus of the Ion light rail line, with adapted bus rapid transit continuing on toward Cambridge. The station opened on June 21, 2019. At the same time as the light rail launch, the existing bus terminal was moved from its current location adjacent to the Hudson's Bay store, to a new park and ride lot at the corner of Fairway and Wilson, off of the mall property.
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) is a rail service company based in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a consortium of three major infrastructure companies engaged in the operation and maintenance of the Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 since September 2015. The consortium is composed of Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Corporation, and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.
THREE consortia have submitted bids to the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, for the $C 536m ($US 505m) PPP contract to design, build, operate, and maintain the city's first light rail line.
The three finalists were selected from seven consortiums that submitted their qualifications in November 2012. They operate under the names GrandLinq, Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Transit Partners and TriCity Transit System. Each group consists of several companies, including engineering, construction and finance firms.
The bidding consortia are called GrandLinq, Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Transit Partners and Tricity Transit System. Each group has local companies involved.
The three shortlisted teams – GrandLinq, Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Transit Partners, and Tricity Transit System -- will have approximately six months to prepare and submit their proposals. The short-listed teams are comprised of some of the most experienced companies building transit infrastructure in Canada.