Elderly woman charged in crash that halted ION service

A 79-year-old woman has been charged with careless driving after a crash that knocked out ION LRT service between Waterloo and downtown Kitchener for several hours on Tuesday.

According to police, the woman was leaving a driveway on King Street around 11:15 a.m., when she lost control, jumped the curb, and hit an electrical box at Allen Station in Waterloo.

The vehicle could be seen sitting half up on the station platform, blocking the tracks.

Police say the woman was not hurt.

Emergency crews are seen at Allen Station in Waterloo around 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday. A car appears to have jumped the curb and sits blocking the tracks. (Dave Pettitt/CTV Kitchener)

In an email, Grand River Transit (GRT) said it launched emergency repairs to restore service and shuttle buses were deployed.

Just before 3:30 p.m., GRT posted social media, saying full ION service would resume shortly.

Trains will run normally and signals are not affected, but passenger displays and fare vending machines aren’t working at Allen Station, GRT said.

Despite the machines being down, GRT said regular fares apply.

"Transit security is on site at Allen Station and can help riders with information on how to pay," it said in an email.

Emergency lighting is also being brought in for the station.