fairway station

Fairway station is located at the northeast corner of Wilson Avenue and Fairway Road, just to the south of Kingsway Drive. It is a combined light rail and bus station, similar to a number of other Ion stations. The station has five platforms in total, which are numbered 1 through 5. Light rail tracks approach the station from the west, crossing Wilson Avenue before terminating at the station itself. The tracks are flanked by two side platforms, which are numbered as platforms 1 and 2. Platform 3, which serves buses, is located directly adjacent and parallel to Platform 2 (the northbound light rail platform), while platforms 4 and 5, which are also used for buses, are at the south end of the station, across a roadway and perpendicular to the light rail platforms. Platform 4 is to the west and Platform 5 is to the east. A small facility to serve transit drivers is located adjacent to the north end of Platform 4. The southwest part of the station area is taken up by its park and ride lot.{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/resources/ION-station-connection-maps/Fairway-Station-bus-connections-Web-2021-01-29.pdf |publisher=Grand River Transit |date=29 January 2021 |title=Fairway Station Bus Connections |access-date=21 March 2021}}

Fairway station's direct predecessor was the Fairview Park Mall Bus Terminal, which was located to the southeast of the mall's Hudson's Bay location. In 2016, Cadillac Fairview, the owner of Fairview Park Mall, refused the Region of Waterloo's offer to replace the existing bus terminal on their property, which forced the Region to seek a new location. Two restaurant locations near the planned light rail station, a Crabby Joe's and a Burger King, were expropriated and demolished for the new bus station, park and ride, and driver facility.{{cite news |url=https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/6397760-region-to-expropriate-fairway-road-restaurants-for-bus-terminal/ |title=Region to expropriate Fairway Road restaurants for bus terminal |newspaper=Kitchener Post |date=18 March 2016 |access-date=23 October 2019 |first=Paige |last=Desmond}} The original bus terminal became defunct on 24 June 2019 when Grand River Transit shifted its bus operations to the new bus station, which, along with the light rail station, became collectively referred to as Fairway station.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ion-waterloo-kitchener-bus-grand-river-transit-1.5170491 |title=Charles Street Terminal closing, 800 bus stops to change June 24 |date=12 June 2019 |website=CBC.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=23 October 2019 |first=Jackie |last=Sharkey}}

After the light rail launch and full service changeover, Fairway station's design was criticized by accessibility advocates, who noted the poor pedestrian access to the mall, as well as the weak pedestrian connections between the light rail and bus stations, which are separated by an active roadway.{{cite web |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9506614-fairway-station-an-absolute-disaster-for-disabled/ |title=Fairway station 'an absolute disaster' for disabled |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=17 July 2019 |access-date=23 October 2019 |first=Johanna |last=Weidner}}{{cite news |url=https://kitchener.citynews.ca/local-news/fairway-station-facing-accessibility-issues-since-launch-of-ion-1590618 |title=Fairway Station facing accessibility issues since launch of ION |first=Maddie |last=Demarte |date=18 July 2019 |website=KitchenerToday.com |publisher=Rogers Sports & Media |access-date=21 March 2021}} In September 2019, the Region of Waterloo announced that the station would be modified to improve passenger accessibility and pedestrian traffic flow by removing a panel on the southbound light rail platform's feature wall and creating a second crosswalk to better connect the light rail and bus platforms of the station. The station modifications were completed in October 2019.{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9622819-accessibility-improvements-begin-at-fairway-station-in-kitchener/ |title=Accessibility improvements begin at Fairway station in Kitchener |first=Johanna |last=Weidner |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=30 September 2019 |access-date=23 October 2019}}

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes to bus service at the station, such as the suspension of the 110 College Express bus route, which was a direct shuttle bus service between Fairway station and Conestoga College's Doon Campus. Doon Campus had been the southern terminus for the 10 Pioneer and 110 College Express bus routes since before the launch of light rail service. Conestoga College student ridership on Grand River Transit had risen steadily for several years,{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/increased-bus-service-grt-conestoga-college-1.4814260 |title=GRT to increases bus service to Conestoga College over the next year |author=CBC News |date=7 September 2018 |website=CBC.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=21 March 2021}} but with most in-person classes at the college suspended, Grand River Transit removed the 110 College Express from its 2021 schedule.{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-woolwich-observer/20210211/281513638849030 |title=GRT expects ridership to be down 45% this year |first=Sean |last=Heeger |newspaper=The Woolwich Observer |date=11 February 2021 |access-date=21 March 2021 |via=PressReader}}

The station features the artwork Shaping Residency by Stephen Cruise with large sculptures of two finches, reminiscent of 19th century Fraktur folk art. The Fairway Transit Driver's Facility features the artwork Arras by Lauren Judge and Elana Chand representing the interweaving of ethnicities, genders, generations and commerce.{{cite web |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7144774-ion-public-art-costs-more-than-anticipated-but-will-make-region-friendlier-/ |title=Ion public art costs more than anticipated but will make region "friendlier" |publisher=Waterloo Region Record |first=Samantha |last=Beattie |date=16 February 2017 |accessdate=3 January 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The station's feature wall consists of glass tiles in a pattern of white, black, blue, and gray.

{{multiple image

| align = left

| total_width = 400

| footer = Shaping Residency by Stephen Cruise.

| image1 = Shaping Residency 1.jpg

| image2 = Shaping Residency 2.jpg

}}

{{multiple image

| align = left

| total_width = 400

| footer = Arras by Lauren Judge and Elana Chand.

| image1 = Arras Fairway 1.jpg

| image2 = Arras Fairway 2.jpg

}}

{{clear left}}

All services at the station are operated as part of the regional Grand River Transit system. {{As of|2021}}, intercity transit services are not available at the station. The nearest intercity bus station is Sportsworld station to the southeast, which is served by the 25 Waterloo–Mississauga GO bus.{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/resources/Platform-layouts/Sportsworld-Station-connections.pdf |publisher=Grand River Transit |title=Sportsworld Station connections |access-date=23 March 2021}} The nearest intercity passenger rail services are at Kitchener station in downtown Kitchener to the north.

Platforms 1 and 2 at Fairway station are used for light rail service. Waterloo Region's only light rail route, the 301 Ion, has the station as its southern terminus.

Platforms 3, 4, and 5 at Fairway station are used for bus service. The station is a hub for local bus routes in south Kitchener, which serve nearby neighbourhoods such as Kingsdale,{{cite web |url=https://www.kitchener.ca/en/recreation-and-sports/kingsdale-community-centre.aspx |title=Kingsdale Community Centre |publisher=City of Kitchener |website=Kitchener.ca |access-date=21 March 2021}} Centreville, Chicopee, Idlewood, and Traynor–Vanier, as well as the Parkway and Trillium Industrial Park industrial areas. Route 10 Pioneer travels from Fairway through the neighbourhood of Pioneer Park and the community of Doon in the extreme south of Kitchener before terminating at Conestoga College's Doon Campus near {{jcon|hwy|401|nosh=y}}.

Direct service to the city of Cambridge is available on the 301 Ion Bus and the 206 Coronation iXpress. The 301 Ion Bus is a limited-stop express service which uses {{jcon|hwy|8|nosh=y}}, stopping at Sportsworld station on the way, then briefly uses Highway 401 before stopping at Pinebush station, travelling south on Hespeler Road, stopping at the Cambridge Centre Transit Terminal, and finally terminating at the Ainslie St. Transit Terminal in the core of Galt.{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/bus-service-changes-ion.aspx |title=Bus service changes for ION launch |publisher=Grand River Transit |access-date=22 March 2021}} The 206 Coronation iXpress stops more frequently and uses King Street and Coronation Boulevard. It stops at Sportsworld station as well, but takes a southerly route through Preston, stopping at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, before passing through the core of Galt (where it stops at the Ainslie St. Transit Terminal), then crossing the Grand River to terminate at Southwood Secondary School in west Galt.{{cite news |url=https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/bus-route-changes-in-cambridge-1.4568545 |title=Bus Route Changes in Cambridge |author=CTV Kitchener |newspaper=CTV News |date=26 August 2019 |access-date=22 March 2021}}

The 901 Flex Trinity–Freeport is a flexible transit route. Grand River Transit's flexible transit routes are intended to serve areas which are normally difficult to serve with conventional transit routes, such as areas with poor street and sidewalk networks, low density, and physical barriers, as well as the presence of transit-dependent facilities such as senior or medical care facilities, apartment buildings, or large workplaces.{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/flexible-transit.aspx |publisher=Grand River Transit |title=Flexible transit |access-date=23 March 2021}} The 901 Flex Trinity–Freeport is a hybrid of on-demand and fixed-route service models. Along with Fairway station, the two other fixed stops are Trinity Village (a retirement complex) and the Grand River Hospital's Freeport Campus.{{cite news |url=https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9083794-revisions-to-grand-river-transit-s-901-flex-project-in-kitchener-have-received-good-feedback/ |title=Revisions to Grand River Transit's 901 Flex project in Kitchener have received good feedback |first=Namish |last=Modi |newspaper=Kitchener Post |via=Toronto.com |date=14 December 2018 |access-date=23 March 2021}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commonscat|Fairway station}}

• {{url|https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/fairway-station.aspx|Fairway station on GRT website}}

{{GRT Terminals|state=expanded}}

{{Kitchener, Ontario}}

Category:Ion light rail stations

Category:Railway stations in Kitchener, Ontario

Category:Bus stations in Kitchener, Ontario

Category:2019 establishments in Ontario

Category:Railway stations in Canada opened in 2019