Kitchener-Waterloo inches toward start-up

The second Bombardier Flexity Freedom LRV for the completed yet not-yet-operating Kitchener-Waterloo LRT in Ontario, Canada, was delivered to the Dutton Road storage and maintenance facility during the week of Oct. 2, 2017.

This latest LRV was built at Bombardier’s Kingston (Ontario) plant, as will be the remaining 12 of the 14-unit order. The builder was instructed to deliver it ready to run, so that operational testing might begin. This will be carried out on the two-mile section of private right-of-way between Northfield Drive and Waterloo Square.

The Dutton Road facility is located on the Elmira Spur (ex-CN) that extends about 12 miles from downtown Kitchener to the town of Elmira, where it serves a chemical plant. Freight train operation over one of the LRT tracks between Waterloo Square and Northfield Drive is scheduled at night, through a temporal separation agreement.

The majority of the remaining LRVs are reported to be in an advanced state of completion. The LRT is essentially complete, and is tentatively scheduled for opening in May 2018.

The initial Bombardier Flexity Freedom car was delivered by rail from the builder’s Thunder Bay (Ontario) plant in February of this year. Though not in operating condition, it was brought in to test clearances and track geometry.