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.
