Man charged in Kitchener crash involving Grand River Transit LRT

Charges were laid after a crash between an LRT train and a Dodge vehicle shut down a busy Kitchener street for more than eight hours on Thursday.

According to Waterloo Regional Police, the collision happened around 9:40 a.m. on King Street West near Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate & Vocational School (KCI) and Grand River Hospital.

Security video, which was later shared with CTV News, showed a black car attempting to make a U-turn directly in front of an ION train. The LRT then slammed into the driver’s side and pushed both vehicles into the intersection.

The force of the collision also ended up knocking the train several metres off the LRT rails.

A damaged Grand River Transit ION train and black vehicle can be seen on King Street W. on Nov. 21, 2024. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News)

King Street West was shut down for hours while crews cleaned up the scene and got the train back on the track. It reopened just before 6 p.m.

Grand River Transit said ION service was impacted between Uptown Waterloo and the Kitchener Market station, and shuttle buses were brought in to help riders get around Kitchener-Waterloo.

The closure also blocked the main entrance of the Central Fresh Market, which the grocery store said affected their business.

The driver and passengers of the LRT were not hurt.

A 31-year-old Toronto man driving the Dodge vehicle was sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The 31-year-old man is facing charges of careless driving, turn- not in safety and drive- hand-held communication devices.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage is encouraged to call police at 519-570-9777 extension 6399.