Ion LRT train on display at public open house

There's an opportunity to get up close and personal with an IonLRT train at an open house Saturday from 1:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. at the Region of Waterloo's operations, maintenance and storage facility.

This is the same Iontrain that was tracked on its journey from Thunder Bay to Waterloo Region and the same one set for testing in the next two months on a track from Silver Lake in Uptown Waterloo to Northfield Drive.

Planning and Works committee chair Tom Galloway said people will be able to board the train for a tour before it becomes operational.

The Region's storage facility is at518DuttonDr. in Waterloo.

'Train your brain'

This week the region also introduced a safety campaign entitled 'Train your Brain' which focuses on these safety messages:

• Overhead wires are live look up, stay clear and stay safe.
• Obey new signage tracks are for trains.
• Do not stop or park on the LRT tracks.
• Stay alert safety begins with you.

"We're trying to educate people well ahead of time so that they start to realize what some of the signs mean and how the train is going to interact with pedestrians, cyclists and motorists," said Galloway.

Eventually the tracks from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall will be turned on for testing of all 14 trains the region has purchased.

A second IonLRT train is scheduled to arrive sometime in June.