LRT trains have been testing on Waterloo Region’s tracks for weeks, but on Saturday, residents were welcomed inside for the first time.
Hundreds stepped on board at each of the future stops for a free tour of the long-awaited trains.
Service was supposed to start in the summer of 2017 but was then pushed back to December 2018.
The region recently announced service would be delayed again until spring 2019.
Some residents voiced their doubts Saturday that that deadline would be met.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time,” said one passenger. “I wish it was running already.”
Others, meanwhile, were optimistic.
“There’s always a bit of pain when there’s growth,” said Shannon Whightman. “We’re through the worst part of it.”
“We’re all impatient,” said Tom Galloway, chair of the Region of Waterloo Planning and Works Committee. “We would all like to have seen it start a long time ago. Bombardier is two years late.”
Regional Chair Karen Redman says she’s confident service will start in the spring.
“I think the December timeline was pretty aggressive. I think this [new] one is very doable.”
So far 12 of the region’s 14 trains have been delivered. Many of them still need work, fixing problems that may have occurred during transit as well as software upgrades.
Bombardier says the remaining two trains should be delivered by next week.
