University of Waterloo station


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.

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, 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, GO Transit's 25 Waterloo–Mississauga intercity bus route, and the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association's 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. 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. This would include several heated waiting shelters and bike storage facilities.