🇨🇦 Bike infrastructure is a low cost, high impact solution for housing & health. But $500M in federal funding is now at risk.
If approvals aren't issued now, we lose the 2026 construction season.
TAKE ACTION: Email your MP by March 13!
✉️ EN: bit.ly/VCBatfletterEN
✉️ FR: bit.ly/VCBatflettrefr
The new CAO for the Region of Waterloo is Darshpreet Bhatti, who was the longtime project lead for the implementation of ION stage 1. Hopefully this is a good sign for getting ION stage 2 and beyond built.
What's happening in Waterloo Region transportation and the latest news:
Reminder to any ION enjoyers who haven't read this to do so (and to subscribe at tritag.ca/subscribe)
Glad to have had the full support of Council for this work last night! I look forward to the future report ahead of next season.
If you’ve tried to catch a bus this snowy winter and had snow blocking your way on or off the bus, I hear you. Next season, we must do better to keep bus stops accessible year round.
➡️ Learn more, below, about my motion coming to Council this week to improve bus stop snow clearing ❄️🚌
Kitchener GO was bumpin!
This was one of two weekend Kitchener GO train trips we get today. We need more ASAP!
Excited to help out with the transit layer in the awesome neighborhood services map!
You can just watch buses and trains move across the city
You're the flex post in my life <3 Emotionally supportive but temporary To: From:
(3/3) Heart goes out to all those in situationships and cyclists "protected" by flex posts! <3
You electrify my life! Picture of GRT electric bus To: From:
(2/3) Will you be my #valentine?
'Cuz you electrify my life ⚡🚌
Picture of GO Train at Kitchener Station Valentines card meme format To: From: Are you the Kitchener GO Train? Because I'd love to see you more on weekends <3
Send these to your #valentines crushes, partners, or even situationship! (1/3)
We’ve got something new coming up this week. Make sure to subscribe at tritag.ca/subscribe to be the first to see our posts:
Ontario line signs
Map
Bus terminal
Us looking at a map
Us checking out the wayfinding at Don Valley station
Toronto’s new Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT pulling into Don Valley (previously Science Centre) station.
This was a blast! Thank you everyone for coming with us to ride the new Line 5 Eglinton
They use the same Bombardier Flexity Freedom vehicles as the ION in Waterloo, except in a 2-car configuration
Was pretty fast in the tunnels (50km/h) but slower in the surface sections. Better TSP still needed
TTCriders: For the Eglinton Station people, we'll be meeting at the new Line 5 platform at Eglinton (descend a gazillion escalators beneath Line 1) at 1pm, and catch a train out of there around 10 ish minutes after 1pm. Feel free to show up early, I plan to be there 12:50
We’ll meet you at Yonge and eg food court at 12:00pm?
If anyone is looking for us, we're on the top level of the first car of the train!
Go with TriTAG to ride Toronto’s new Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT!
📅 Sunday, February 8
⏰ 7:30 AM
📍Kitchener GO (accessibility cab area)
Train Departs: 7:49 AM
Arrives Mount Dennis: 9:19AM
We’ll ride to Kennedy and back to Eglinton Station for lunch and meet @ttcriders.bsky.social at 1:00pm!
Anyone interesting in taking the Sunday morning Kitchener train to Toronto to check out the new LRT with us?
Reply or DM us!
Congrats! Amazing work :)
Great to see episode 2 cover snow clearing issues at GRT bus stops and how sustained community outcry can push agencies/governments to act!
Great to see episode 2 cover snow clearing issues at GRT bus stops and how sustained community outcry can push agencies/governments to act.
We had such an amazing turnout today for TriTAG’s first social of the year!
Thank you to everyone who showed up. Let us know if you have any ideas or venue recommendations for next time!
Elsewhere Toronto Star: Off the rails: The inside story of how the Eglinton Crosstown LRT went from transit dream to cautionary tale TVO Today: Is it Time to Be Hopeful About Transit in Ontario? | The Rundown Globe & Mail: Opinion | Back on track. Across Canada, there is a grassroots clamouring for the return of railway lines that once provided a reliable and affordable alternative to cars and planes Rail Fans Canada (YouTube): We Visited the Alto High-Speed Rail Open House: Here's What We Learned New York Times: Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead? Some transit advocates are wary of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to subsidize bus fares and argue the money would be better spent on a major subway expansion.
Elsewhere:
The shape of our cities Water Crisis CBC News: More staff and a lot of money: What the Region of Waterloo says it needs to address water capacity issue: Report says future capital projects could cost $81M The Record: Drying wells and dying wetlands: The growing water crisis beneath the Waterloo Moraine The Record: Water supply crisis sparks call to reform how Waterloo Region is governed CityNews: Local advocates want to see a ‘Blue Belt’ created to protect groundwater Citified: The Upside (January 2026): Let's focus on good things happening in and around Waterloo Region
The shape of our cities:
Transit CambridgeToday: GRT working to enhance bus stop snow removal times by reworking contractor agreements. ION’s success getting some attention in relation to Toronto’s LRT woes Sean Marshall: ION: An Ontario LRT that somehow works CityNews: Advocates say lessons from Kitchener and Waterloo’s Ion LRT could help Toronto transit projects Toronto's Finch West LRT opening, how we can learn from Waterloo's ION LRT success, and the bigger conversation of prioritizing speed in our generational transit investments (Urban Plus Ultra) Region of Waterloo approves up to $600K for a permanent public art installation at the Kitchener Central Transit Hub. (Regional agenda) The Record: A Cambridge councillor is asking the Region of Waterloo to return money Cambridge residents have paid toward the ION light rail system (City of Cambridge agenda) A new transit advocacy podcast discusses the GRT bus service cuts and other transit advocacy occurring in Canada (Dwell Time Podcast)
Transit:
