Stage 2 ION (Kitchener–Cambridge LRT)

Env. Review

17 km extension of ION light rail from Fairway Station in Kitchener to downtown Cambridge, with seven new stations. Provincial environmental approval came in 2021, and in November 2025 Regional Council chose a full-length LRT over a bus rapid transit option. The C$3.1B project has no construction funding yet; the Region is asking the provincial and federal governments to pay its full capital cost.

Alignment Map

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Alignment is approximate.

Alignment

Stage 1 of ION opened in June 2019 between Conestoga in Waterloo and Fairway in Kitchener, with 19 stations. Stage 2 would extend the line 17 km from Fairway to downtown Cambridge, with seven new stations: Sportsworld, Preston, Pinebush, Cambridge Centre, Can-Amera, Delta, and Galt (Downtown Cambridge, on Ainslie Street). An ION Bus route serves these stops today.

From Fairview Park Mall the line would run off-road beside the CP rail line, passing under Highway 8, then cross the Grand River, pass Sportsworld, go under Highway 401, and cross the Speed River into Preston. It would follow Eagle Street to Pinebush, then run in dedicated lanes along Hespeler Road past Cambridge Centre and Can-Amera to the Delta, and take Water Street into downtown Cambridge, ending at the Ainslie Street terminal. Early designs include elevated sections and several long bridges. The Region expects a 29-minute trip from Fairway to downtown Cambridge, with trains every 7 minutes.

Updates

2026-04 — Funding requests still unanswered

The Region is seeking full capital funding from the provincial and federal governments and has started pre-construction work in the meantime. As of April 2026, neither government had said it would fund the line, according to the transit advocacy group TriTAG. TriTAG traced the cost increases since 2016 to a route that now has more elevated sections and longer bridges, to pandemic-era construction inflation, and to larger contingencies.

2025-11 — Regional Council approves full LRT to Cambridge

After the Initial Business Case, regional councillors approved extending light rail the full 17 km to downtown Cambridge. They rejected three shorter LRT options and a bus rapid transit alternative. Cambridge Mayor Jann Liggett, who preferred BRT, was the only regional councillor to vote against. In consultation, 78% of more than 2,500 participants chose the full LRT. Staff estimated C$3.1 billion in 2025 dollars, or C$4.3 billion escalated to 2033, plus about C$23.8 million a year to operate. They said a full business case could take up to two and a half years and that procurement could start as early as 2028 once funding is secured.

2023-12 — New south terminal endorsed

On December 5, 2023, Regional Council endorsed a new south terminal on Ainslie Street in downtown Cambridge, which changed the preferred route and station locations at the south end.

2021-06 — Environmental assessment complete

Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued a Notice to Proceed on June 10, 2021, with no additional conditions. The Region published its Statement of Completion for the Transit Project Assessment Process on June 21. That allows the Region to move to implementation, subject to the commitments in its Environmental Project Report.

2019-10 — C$1.36 billion estimate; construction not before 2028

After Regional Council endorsed the preferred route in June 2019, staff estimated the extension at C$1.36 billion, citing inflation and the many bridges needed over roads, railways, and the Grand and Speed rivers. They said construction would not start before 2028, and that the Region would ask the provincial and federal governments to cover the full cost.

References