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My apologies for being late. Our computer room got flooded the other day. Forcing a complete power down of everything and we've only just got some of our key systems back online. After cleaning the water out that is. This is Caroline Street in Waterloo looking south. Waterloo is a small city in Southern Ontario about 90 minutes to the west of Toronto by automobile - via the infamous Hwy. 401. Every now and again my job causes me to visit Waterloo and its conjoined sister city Kitchener - formerly Berlin prior to WWI, I can't imagine why they changed the name. The two are buttressed so closely that they are often named collectively Kitchener-Waterloo - or just 'KW'. But they are two distinct cities and you better remember that if you ever visit there. Oh yeah, they also make Blackberries. iON is no new Apple Corporation smart thingy that will spy on you and tell your wife you were using the free wireless at that massage parlour... Er, in KW it is the official name for the region's new light rail transit system (LRT) to be built over the next three years. Indeed construction has already commenced in some of the more out-of-the-way sections of the route. As a fan and supporter of Toronto streetcars I've taken a keen interest in this project since it was first proposed in 2002. iON will not be a "street railway" in the classical sense. Certainly not a streetcar as its detractors continue to describe it. It will be modern tram system supported by street right-of-way (ROW), grade separation and signal priority. And, should it open on time - 2017 - KW will be the first Ontario community (ah hem, communities, sorry...) to re-embrace electric rail transit after full abandonment more than two generations ago - 1946. Toronto, in spite of the craven efforts of some politicians, never fully abandoned electric street railways - that's a good thing. This sign marks the location of a to be constructed iON LRT stop. Because of the narrowness of core streets in Waterloo, southbound tracks will follow Caroline Street while northbound tracks will be built into King Street one block to the east. This will permit the installation of a segregated ROW for the LRT while allowing for continued two-way auto traffic and parking in the adjoining lanes. A similar arrangement is to be build in the core section of the City of Kitchener as the roadways are also too narrow for two-way LRT on one street in addition to private traffic. The actual light rail vehicles (LRVs) are being built now by Canadian company Bombardier. Not too long ago Bombardier displayed a to-scale section of one of the trains. I'll endeavour to post a photo in the not too distant future. The trams will be similar in design to LRVs being purchased by Toronto for its expanded LRT network. This in spite of the craven (love that word) efforts of certain low road populist politicians in Toronto to prevent that. Speaking of politics. The recent election in Ontario has renewed the mandate of our mostly transit friendly (and historically supportive of iON) provincial government. The last political hurdle for the iON is the upcoming municipal elections in October. It is the last chance for opponents of LRT to cancel the project. This did happen in Ottawa back in 2006 - a new council cancelled all construction contracts and "started fresh". This is why that city is so behind KW in LRT development and why I keep my fingers crossed for iON. Though, in the case of KW, cancellation would require a major political upheaval in the region at this late stage. With luck I will be able to stand at this place three years from now and photograph Waterloo passengers boarding a new tram on its way to Kitchener and beyond. As always, my thanks to you for taking the time to take a peek at my gallery. Cheers!

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