University of Waterloo station

Last updated
University of Waterloo
Waterloo ION logo.svg
University of Waterloo Station Nov 2017.jpg
Station structurally complete, November 2017
General information
Location Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°28′23″N80°32′28″W / 43.47312°N 80.54107°W / 43.47312; -80.54107
Platforms Centre platform (Rail Platforms 1/2)
Tracks2
Train operators Grand River Transit
Bus routes
  •  9  Lakeshore
  •  13  Laurelwood
  •  19  Hazel
  •  30  Ring Road
  •  31  Columbia
  •  201 iXpress  Fischer-Hallman
  •  17  Waterloo / Hamilton
  •  25  Waterloo / Missisauga
  •  30  Kitchener
Bus stands5 (Platforms 3-7)
Bus operators Grand River Transit
GO Transit
Connections Ic directions bike 48px.svg Laurel Trail / Trans Canada Trail
History
Opened2019 (2019) (Light Rail Platform)
2022 (2022) (Bus Platforms)
Services
Preceding station Grand River Transit Following station
Research and Technology
toward Conestoga
Ion Laurier–Waterloo Park
toward Fairway

University of Waterloo Station is a bus terminal and light rail station located at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. [1] The site initially opened as a light rain station on Grand River Transit's ION light rail line in 2019, and the bus terminal for GRT buses was subsequently opened in 2022. The bus terminal is shared with GO Transit, which uses the easternmost eastbound platforms as its University of Waterloo Terminal for its intercity bus service.

Contents

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] Half of the bus slips and shelters on Ring Road were removed during the construction of the Light Rail line, but the other half on the west side remain, used only by the Fed Bus service.

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 in additional provincial, federal, and regional funding had been granted for amenities at the new bus station. [5] This would include several heated waiting shelters and bike storage facilities. [6]

The bus terminal partially opened on January 3, 2022, and then fully opened three weeks later, serving Grand River Transit routes; GO Transit buses switched over on March 15.

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 three engineering buildings to the south and administration buildings to the north.

The bus terminal was constructed on an existing access road between Phillip Street on the east and the University's Ring Road on the west, with a level crossing for the ION light rail line and the Laurel Trail at its western end. The Bus Terminal's road continues westward onto the campus grounds as William Tutte Way, named after University of Waterloo mathematician W.T. Tutte.

Freight Train Usage

From 11 PM-5 AM, freight trains are permitted to use the tracks used by the light rail line, as the line was built along a portion of track shared with the Waterloo Spur Line, which serves industrial locations in Elmira. To protect the station structure (and the trains themselves), a gauntlet track is in place alongside Platform 1 of the station that offsets the freight track a small distance.

Services

Grand River Transit

Light Rail

PlatformRouteNameNotes
1301ION ExpressNorthbound to Conestoga Station
2Southbound to Fairway Station
The bus platforms in October 2022 University of Waterloo station bus platforms.jpg
The bus platforms in October 2022

Buses

PlatformRouteNameNotes
330Ring RoadTo University of Waterloo Station

Via Ring Road, Weekday Service Only

331ColumbiaEastbound to Columbia/Sundew

Weekday Service Only

4Westbound to Conestoga Station

Weekday Service Only

3201iXpress Fischer HallmanEastbound to Conestoga College
4Westbound to Conestoga Station
419Hazel19A to St. Jacob's Market
19B to Northfield station (Waterloo)
5301RION Replacement Shuttle Rail replacement bus service during 301 service disruptions.
69LakeshoreTo Conestoga Station
613LaurelwoodTo The Boardwalk Station

GO Transit

All GO Transit buses load at Platform 6 and unload at Platform 7.

PlatformRouteNameNotes
6C17Waterloo / HamiltonTo Hamilton GO Centre

via:

6B25Waterloo / MissisaugaTo Square One GO Terminal

via:

25CTo Square One GO Terminal

via:

25LTo Square One GO Terminal

via:

6A30 Kitchener To Bramalea GO Station

via:

30ATo Bramalea GO Station

via:

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References

  1. "University of Waterloo". About ION. GrandLinq Contractors. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  2. "GO Transit". University of Waterloo. January 9, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  3. "Fed Bus". University of Waterloo. March 26, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. Sivaloganathan, Sujan (November 22, 2016). "Next stop: University of Waterloo Transit Station". Imprint. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  5. Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure (June 16, 2020). "Canada and Ontario invest in public transit and active transportation infrastructure to support Waterloo Region residents" . Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. Bueckert, Kate (June 16, 2020). "Transit projects to get $25M from federal and provincial governments". CBC.ca . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved July 17, 2020.