Opening Day for Waterloo Region's iON LRT system, finally at hand this past Friday (21 June 2019) - I was there. And a beautiful day it was. iON, for those who don't know, is a new rapid transit service which links the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo in South Western Ontario. The region is approximately an hour's drive to the west of Toronto via the infamous Highway 401. My thanks to everyone working for the GRT, GrandLinq, iON and the Region of Waterloo for the great opening festivities and all the friendly and informed staff at all the station stops assisting us hapless passengers. And of course for all the years of dedication to make this day possible. DRUM ROLL! Electric rail transit has returned to the city streets of Kitchener and Waterloo for the first time in seventy-two (72) years! And if I may boast a little, I was privileged to ride on the very first 'open to the public' tram out of Fairway Station - there were four (4) special VIP trams that preceded us - after the opening ceremonies. And our tram was the first passenger tram to traverse the entire line - Fairway to Conestoga Stations, passing through both city cores. I got there early you see. For the record, that was on LFLRV 505 and not the tram pictured here. Yes, I did try to get (and almost got) a beauty shot of 505 at another location but some 'pretty boy' wandered into my frame at the last second. When will people learn that public spaces are not for everyone? For the last five (5) years I have been visiting Waterloo Region and posting about the development of this project and my enthusiasm for it.

• 'The iON Is Coming To Caroline Street'
• 'Bombarier LFLRV At Waterloo Town Square'
• 'The iON Is Still Coming To Caroline Street'
• 'The iON Is Coming To Charles Street'
• 'GRT LFLRV Number 1 At The Lancaster Yard'
• 'GRT LFLRV Number 2 On The Waterloo Spur'
• 'GRT LFLRV 507 On King Street'

And for those who have been following, I do intend to finish this series with two final shots on both Charles and Caroline Streets. However, the temporary crowd control measures around key locations prevented me from standing where I wanted to be for those shots. These barriers will be removed soon, so I'll be back on a nice day to complete the circle. LFLRV 507 is on Duke Street in Downtown Kitchener, a block to the east of the King Street city centre. Historically, Duke Street never had a street railway alignment - though spur lines to the Canadian National Railway station (the station still exists and is still in use) and Bridgeport did cross it up into the late 1930's. Part of the modern alignment is now on Duke because the streets in Downtown Kitchener are too narrow for two-way vehicle traffic plus a dedicated two-way transit ROW. So, northbound trams travel on Duke Street on the dedicated alignment adjacent to the curb. Southbound trams travel on Charles Street, two blocks to the west. Both branches converge onto the median of King Street about three blocks to the north at Victoria Street. LRV 507 is seen here traveling north on Duke with a full car of passengers - they waved to me as they passed. The tram is headed to Conestoga Station - adjacent to Conestoga Mall - in North Waterloo. On its way, it will pass Uptown Waterloo and the University of Waterloo. All fourteen (14) of the iON LRVs are Bombardier FLEXITY Freedom vehicles. They were built by the same company who are manufacturing the new streetcars for the City of Toronto. Which are of similar FLEXITY design - Toronto streetcars are single ended and require tighter turning. iON trams are double ended, less noisy and can carry up to 260 passengers. And, despite the aggravating delays in delivery, the iON LRVs look and perform well so far. I like what I see. It is very gratifying to see a project like this finally completed in my own region of the world. For too long cities have held back or been held back by 'leaders' who deride this mode of transit without any understanding. "Too expensive"," too destructive", "pie in the sky", "just fancy streetcars" they say. Most of the time they are conflating the technologies to confuse. Waterloo Region can now serve as a practical example for other communities in Canada as to what they can achieve transit wise. And what benefit such transit can provide in growth. And if you are interested in a more animated scene from opening day, here is a video I took boarding a southbound GRT tram at Central Station in Kitchener. 'GRT LFLRV 509 Entering Central Station'. A Birdie DoDo Production. Thanks so much for taking the time to view. Cheers! Notes: GRT: Grand River Transit LFLRV: Low Floor Light Rail Vehicle iON: Official Name for Waterloo Region's Rapid Transit Service (Light Rail and Rapid Buses) LRT: Light Rail Transit GrandLinq: The consortium contracted for building and operation of the LRT and Rapid Bus system. ROW: Right Of Way LRV: Light Rail Vehicle (also called a 'tram') FLEXITY: Brand Name for iON LRVs