University of Waterloo station

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.

University of Waterloo
Station structurally complete, November 2017
General information
Location	Waterloo, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43.47312°N 80.54107°W / 43.47312; -80.54107
Platforms	Centre platform (Rail Platforms 1/2)
Tracks	2
Train operators	Grand River Transit
Bus routes	GRT buses  9  Lakeshore  13  Laurelwood  19  Hazel  30  Ring Road  31  Columbia  201 iXpress  Fischer-Hallman GO buses  17  Waterloo / Hamilton  25  Waterloo / Mississauga  30  Kitchener
Bus stands	5 (Platforms 3-7)
Bus operators	Grand River Transit GO Transit
Connections	Laurel Trail / Trans Canada Trail
History
Opened	2019 (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

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

Platform	Route	Name	Notes
1	301	ION Express	Northbound to Conestoga Station
2			Southbound to Fairway Station

The bus platforms in October 2022

Buses

Platform	Route	Name	Notes
3	30	Ring Road	To University of Waterloo Station Via Ring Road, Weekday Service Only
3	31	Columbia	Eastbound to Columbia/Sundew Weekday Service Only
4			Westbound to Conestoga Station Weekday Service Only
3	201	iXpress Fischer Hallman	Eastbound to Conestoga College
4			Westbound to Conestoga Station
4	19	Hazel	19A to St. Jacob's Market
			19B to Northfield station (Waterloo)
5	301R	ION Replacement Shuttle	Rail replacement bus service during 301 service disruptions.
6	9	Lakeshore	To Conestoga Station
6	13	Laurelwood	To The Boardwalk Station

GO Transit

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

Platform	Route	Name	Notes
6C	17	Waterloo / Hamilton	To Hamilton GO Centre via: Wilfrid Laurier University Guelph Central Station University of Guelph Aldershot GO Station McMaster University
6B	25	Waterloo / Mississauga	To Square One GO Terminal via: Wilfrid Laurier University Cambridge Smartcentre Milton Carpool Winston Churchill Transitway Station Erin Mills Transitway Station
	25A		To Square One GO Terminal via: Wilfrid Laurier University Milton Carpool
	25C		To Square One GO Terminal via: Wilfrid Laurier University
	25L		To Square One GO Terminal via: Wilfrid Laurier University Cambridge Smartcentre Milton Carpool Toronto Premium Outlets Winston Churchill Transitway Station Erin Mills Transitway Station
6A	30	Kitchener	To Bramalea GO Station via: Meadowvale Business Park Kitchener GO station Wilfrid Laurier University
	30A		To Bramalea GO Station via: Kitchener GO station Wilfrid Laurier University

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.

External links

• University of Waterloo station on GRT website