Editing Cambridge, Ontario (section)

===Railways===
{{Further|Galt Subdivision}}

The [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]'s [[Galt Subdivision]] is the primary rail corridor in the city. It passes through the community of Galt, from which it takes its name, on an approximately east–west axis. It is a part of the Canadian Pacific [[main line (railway)|mainline]] connecting Toronto with points southwest. Other cities on the Galt Subdivision (from east to west) are Toronto, Mississauga, and London; the line also passes through the towns of Milton and Woodstock.

Although freight trains serving the [[Toyota]] factory are a common sight in Cambridge, the city at present has no passenger rail service. {{As of|2021}}, Cambridge is the only municipality in Ontario with both a population of over 100,000 people and no passenger rail service.<ref name=ctoday-gotrain-2021 /> The nearest [[Via Rail]] stations in the [[Quebec City-Windsor Corridor]] are [[Kitchener railway station|Kitchener station]], [[Guelph Central Station|Guelph station]], and Brantford.

The most easily accessible [[GO Transit]] railway stations are in [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]], [[Guelph, Ontario|Guelph]], [[Milton, Ontario|Milton]], and [[Aldershot GO Station|Aldershot]]. GO bus service between Mississauga, Cambridge, and Kitchener was introduced in 2009 as a forerunner to GO train service to Kitchener.

====Light rail====
{{See also|Rapid transit in Waterloo Region|Ion rapid transit}}
[[File:GPH-PB station and car barn.jpg|thumb|The car barn for the Galt, Preston, Hespeler and Preston, Berlin railway]]

The first appearance of [[light rail]] in Cambridge was an electric [[street railway]] system between Galt and Preston, which was called the [[Galt and Preston Street Railway]]. This later expanded with a [[branch line]] from Preston to Hespeler, and was subsequently renamed the [[Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway]] (GP&H). A separate extension line, the [[Preston and Berlin Street Railway]], was built and then merged with the GP&H, and the whole system was renamed the [[Grand River Railway]], which at its greatest extent ran as far north as Waterloo. With this extension, as well as infrastructure upgrades, it became a true [[interurban]]. A sister railway, the [[Lake Erie and Northern Railway]], connected to the Grand River Railway at Galt, running south to [[Port Dover, Ontario|Port Dover]] via [[Paris, Ontario|Paris]], [[Brantford]], and [[Simcoe, Ontario|Simcoe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |title=Cambridge and its Influence on Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=19 January 2017 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312053020/http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Mills"/> The electric rail system ended passenger services in April, 1955.

In June 2011, the Waterloo regional council approved the plan for a [[light rail transit]] (LRT) service from Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in south Kitchener, with express buses through to Cambridge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/548497--rail-plan-passes |title=Rail plan passes |publisher=TheRecord |date=2011-06-15 |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312025134/http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/548497--rail-plan-passes |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Phase 1, which started operating in 2019, the [[Ion rapid transit|Ion]] LRT runs between Waterloo and Kitchener, passing through the downtown and uptown areas of the two cities. The stations for the rapid buses along the southern half, known as Stage 2, were put in place by 2016.

Stage 2 of the rail line would run from {{stn|Fairway}} to the "downtown Galt" area of Cambridge. At least one journalist has pointed out the similarity between this plan and the electric [[Grand River Railway]] of the early 1900s that connected Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |title=CAMBRIDGE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON WATERLOO REGION'S LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=19 January 2017 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=10 March 2017 |quote=the first electric line running up Water and King Streets from Galt to the Mineral Springs Hotel across the Speed River in Preston ... Next, the train line extended north of Kitchener and a spur line ran into Hespeler. |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312053020/http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig was a determined opponent of the plan. He felt that a series of buses would be just as effective but much less expensive.<ref name=KWRecord2013-11-19/><ref name=Cbc2013-08-20/>

The Ion rapid transit service in Kitchener-Waterloo (Stage 1) began on June 21, 2019, after delays caused by Bombardier's late deliver of the trains needed for the service.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.metro-magazine.com/news/story/2014/10/waterloo-region-s-rapid-transit-system-to-shape-growth-development.aspx |title=Waterloo Region's Rapid Transit System to Shape Growth, Development |journal=Metro Magazine |date=October 13, 2014 |access-date=2014-10-25}}</ref> Most of the rails had been installed by the end of 2016; the maintenance facility and all underground utility work had been completed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Desmond|first1=Paige|title=LRT construction 90 per cent complete|url=http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7035590-lrt-construction-90-per-cent-complete/|access-date=25 March 2017|work=Waterloo Region Record|date=23 December 2016}}</ref> The start date of service was postponed to early 2018, however, because of delays in the manufacture and delivery of the vehicles by [[Bombardier Transportation]]. As of 24 February 2017, only a single sample of a train car had arrived for testing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/bombardier-100-committed-to-delivering-ion-vehicles-by-end-of-2017-1.3299914 |title=Bombardier '100% committed' to delivering Ion vehicles by end of 2017 |last=Flanagan |first=Ryan |date=24 February 2017 |website=CTV News |publisher=Bell Media |access-date=24 March 2017}}</ref>

[[File:GrandRiverTransit3.jpg|thumb|The original iXpress service which preceded the Ion rapid transit plan; other iXpress routes remain.]]

In late February 2017, plans for the Stage 2 (Cambridge section) of the Ion rail service were still in the very early stage; public consultations had just started at the time. Some routes and stops had been agreed upon in 2011, but the final plan will not be established until mid 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/lrt-ion-cambridge-region-waterloo-1.3970421 |title=There's still wiggle room in the Region of Waterloo's LRT plans for Cambridge |last=Sharkey |first=Jackie |date=8 February 2017 |website=CBC |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/FINAL_Stage-2-ION-PCC-No.-2-Display-Boards_reduced2.pdf |title=Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit (LRT) |last=Sharkey |first=Jackie |date=February 2017 |website=Region of Waterloo |access-date=24 March 2017}}</ref> No estimated date has been published for the start of light rail service to Cambridge.

Until the completion of Stage 2, rapid transit is provided between Fairview Park Mall and the Ainslie Street Transit Terminal (in the downtown Galt area) using branded buses with WiFi. Other stops for this Ion bus are at Hespeler Road at the Delta, Can-Amera, Cambridge Centre, Pinebush, and Sportsworld. The ION bus provides a direct link to the LRT half of the system in Kitchener-Waterloo.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rapid Transit Environmental Assessment Phase 2, Step 3b – Preferred Rapid Transit System Option and Staging Plan|url=http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/projectinformation/resources/e-09-073_-_recommended_system_report.pdf|access-date=9 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web  |title=ION Bus Rapid Transit - Frequently Asked Questions  |url=http://www.grt.ca/en/travelwithus/FAQ-ION-Bus-Rapid-Transit.asp  |access-date=24 March 2017  |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325024953/http://www.grt.ca/en/travelwithus/FAQ-ION-Bus-Rapid-Transit.asp  |archive-date=March 25, 2017  |df=mdy-all  }}</ref>

====GO train service proposals====
{{See also|Kitchener line|Milton line}}

In the years following the discontinuance of all passenger rail service to Cambridge, municipal officials lobbied for its return. In 2013, then-mayor Doug Craig reported positive results from negotiations with the [[Ontario Ministry of Transportation]] around an extension of [[GO Transit]]'s [[Milton line]] service from its terminus at [[Milton, Ontario|Milton]];<ref name=fast-track>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2013/11/09/craig-wants-to-fast-track-go-trains-to-cambridge.html |title=Craig wants to fast track GO trains to Cambridge |first=Greg |last=Mercer |date=9 November 2013 |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record]]}}</ref> both Galt and Milton are located along the Canadian Pacific Railway's [[Galt Subdivision]], which Milton line trains use. Craig pointed to the number of existing GO bus riders in Cambridge, as well as the number of Cambridge residents driving to Milton or to Paris, the latter to board [[Via Rail]] intercity trains which could reach Toronto in around an hour.<ref name=fast-track /> The full business case for the Milton line extension, entitled "Cambridge on the GO", was released in 2015.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/resources/Cambridge-on-the-GO-Business-Case-Final-June-11-15.pdf |title=Cambridge on the GO Business Case |date=June 2015 |publisher=City of Cambridge, Ontario}}</ref>

In 2018, citing the inability to successfully negotiate with Canadian Pacific for further access for passenger trains along the Galt Subdivision, regional and municipal governments, along with Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation, began to pursue a possible passenger rail connection to the [[Kitchener line]] at [[Guelph Central Station]], using the existing CN Fergus Subdivision to reach it.<ref name=star-shifts-rail-line>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/local-cambridge/news/2021/05/10/proposed-cambridge-to-toronto-go-train-shifts-to-rail-line-through-fergus-and-guelph.html |title=Proposed Cambridge to Toronto GO Train shifts to rail line through Guelph |first=Bill |last=Doucet |date=10 May 2021 |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref> An early 2021 report detailed the second stage of the feasibility study, which addressed details around service levels and station locations.<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility>{{cite report |url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/living-here/resources/Transportation-Master-Plan/DOCS_ADMIN-3637986-v1-Cambridge_to_Union_GO_Study_Phase_2_Report_Final_Feb_2021.pdf |date=February 2021 |title=Cambridge to Union GO Rail Feasibility Study PHASE 2 REPORT |publisher=Region of Waterloo}}</ref> The report proposed a service launch of 2026.<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|19}} Proposed train frequencies would be between one and four per hour, with travel times of around 15 minutes.<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|20}} Ridership estimates for 2026 would be 80,000–385,000 per year in different scenarios,<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|27}} dependent on the level of infrastructure investment in the line. The study estimated a lower cost and travel time to Toronto compared to driving directly or using existing GO or Via services; this differential was projected to increase approaching the mid-21st century, driven by road congestion and the effects of infrastructure investment on the Kitchener line, which would decrease train travel times.<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|32}} The study also argued that the service would aid in intensification of development in low-density areas of Cambridge,<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|34}} be highly deliverable due to its use of an existing rail corridor,<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|33}} and improve labour mobility and economic development in Southwestern Ontario.<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|33}} The preferred station location was at Pinebush,<ref name=cambridge-guelph-feasibility />{{rp|iii–iv}} which is also planned to be an Ion LRT station, making direct transfers between the light rail system and Cambridge–Guelph trains possible. Cambridge city councillors responded to the report favourably, highlighting a positive response from constituents.<ref name=ctoday-gotrain-2021>{{cite news |url=https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/cambridge-councillors-eager-to-get-on-the-go-3775563 |title=Cambridge councillors eager to get on the GO |first=Mehreen |last=Shahid |date=17 May 2021 |website=CambridgeToday.ca |publisher=Village Media}}</ref>