Waterloo Region’s long-delayed order of light rail vehicles may finally be about to arrive.
Regional officials and Bombardier representatives met on Monday, with Bombardier bringing the region long-awaited news.
“They are telling us that on Monday of next week, the second vehicle will be shipped,” Coun. Tom Galloway said in an interview.
Moving the vehicle from Bombardier’s plant in Kingston to Waterloo Region is expected to take about 10 days.
Bombardier plans to ship the region’s third vehicle about two weeks after the second, and the fourth vehicle about two weeks after the third, Galloway said.
While the first vehicle for the Ion line arrived in February, it was incomplete and has yet to be tested on the track itself.
The second vehicle is expected to be in better shape when it shows up.
“People should see a vehicle on the test track in Waterloo probably in the middle of October or thereabouts,” Galloway said.
“After that, vehicles will start running up and down the entire system as GrandLinq tests out the entire system.”
The testing is likely to take several months. At last word, the region expected to have Ion passenger service up and running by next spring.
With reporting by Tina Yazdani
