Kitchener King Victoria Transit Hub | ?m | 2s | Metrolinx | WZMH

jmb said:
Thanks for posting this, It''s very much phase 2 I was talking about, as you said, phase one is clearly critical. Where did you get this info from, I've been looking and couldn't find it, hence my wildly inaccurate assumption the split was like 10/95.
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My sources are all from reports on the project's EngageWR site, which I also described in previous posts such as the one below:
reaperexpress said:
Well don't expect much, because the project is on hold due to insufficient funding. They have currently secured $43M from the Province, but that is nowhere near the estimated $106M project cost. They are waiting to hear from an application they submitted to the feds for $73.1M from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

From the linked report:
"As outlined in report COR-FFM-21-04/COR-CFN-21-09 dated February 9, 2021, the overall KVTH Project is currently paused pending funding availability. Metrolinx is committed to moving forward with the work within the adjacent rail corridor to relocate their platform to the KVTH site as a critical part of the Kitchener Line expansion in preparation for two-way all-day GO service. As outlined in Report COR-FFM-21-09 dated June 22, 2021, some elements of the Region’s site design are moving forward in parallel with the Metrolinx design work in order to ensure that site circulation, parking, bus loop and passenger pick up and drop off area are coordinated and can be ready for use when Metrolinx is ready to move to the new platform (expected Summer 2023)."

I'm assuming that the "some elements" are the bare essentials which can fit within the $43M they have already secured.
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jmb said:
I also hadn't realized they were putting the pedestrian tunnel in in phase, I figured they'd keep costs down and go with a level crossing.
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Metrolinx definitely wouldn't put a level crossing back in after all the effort they went through to eliminate all 5 level crossings in downtown Kitchener.

The King Street level crossing was replaced by an underpass as a prerequisite for of the LRT construction.

The Waterloo Street level crossing was closed a while ago, to be replaced by the pedestrian tunnel from Phase 1 of this project.

Metrolinx just received permission from Waterloo Region to close the Duke Street level crossing as part of this project, and that link would eventually be replaced by a bicycle+pedestrian tunnel.

The Weber Street level crossing was closed and replaced by an underpass prior to the LRT construction.

The Ahrens Street level crossing was closed in 2011 due to Kitchener station's platform extension to accommodate GO trains.
 
reaperexpress said:
My sources are all from reports on the project's EngageWR site,
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Can you point me to specifically where? I've gone over that site in the past and the best I could find was reference to spending $750k to have some limited detailed design done. https://www.engagewr.ca/9466/widgets/37498/documents/70014
It also references intending to use the $43m secured already to pay for it, but doesn't say phase one will consume the whole amount (nor exactly what is included in their planning, just generically "to ensure that site circulation, parking, bus loop and passenger pick up and drop off area are coordinated and can be ready for use"

The link you provided in your previous quote gives a security error. I think you may need to copy the URL on the website, rather than the amazon url it redirects you to.

Thanks, it's great to have hard numbers to work from rather than making rather speculative estimates.
 
reaperexpress said:
We need to clearly distinguish the two phases of the project. Phase 1 (under construction) is highlighted in Yellow and Blue in the below image. Phase 2 (proposed) is in green.
afbeelding1-png.370036


Phase 1 will cost $43 Million and will include the new Central station's two rail platforms, a pedestrian tunnel under the tracks at Waterloo Street (incl. stairs and elevators), a bicycle bridge across King Street, a 5-bay bus terminal and a parking lot which is a placeholder for future development. The new station is planned to begin service in Fall 2023, at which point the current Kitchener station will be permanently closed.

It is absolutely essential because a second platform is required to support the planned all-day service pattern. It would be stupid to spend money building a pedestrian tunnel and second platform at the existing station, when that station is severly hampered by its lack of connection to the light rail line, its poor pedestrian access and its tiny 2-bay bus terminal. Especially when the Region already owns the land for the new station and has been focusing development toward it for over a decade.

This phase is being built very modestly, with basic pedestrian tunnels, standard bus roadways etc. The only element of this phase which could be considered excessive is the bicycle bridge across King Street, since the bike path will end at the station anyway and it wouldn't be that unreasonable to end the path on the west side of King, provide bike parking there, and use the existing platform along the rail bridge as a walkway.

Phase 2 is estimated to cost $63M and will add the station building and landscaping. It is currently on hold due to lack of funding. This is the portion which could be described as a vanity project, since the station would technically work fine with just a basic building with a ticket office and waiting area, rather than an imposing structure with high ceilings. The station would also work fine if the remainder of the site is left as a barren patch of grass, instead of turning it into a public plaza.

However, I'd like to point out that it is typical for a city's central station to be built with more than just the bare minimum, because it is a representation of the city and can have a significant effect on civic pride and redevelopment potential of the surrounding area.

Does Union Station really need an 88-foot ceiling in the entrance hall?
640px-The_Great_Hall_of_Union_Station_in_Toronto.jpg

Image by Michael Caven via Wikimedia

Did the current Kitchener station really need a tower? Apparently not, given that CN removed it in 1966.
640px-Grand_Trunk_Station%2C_Berlin%2C_ON.JPG


Schenectady station technically worked fine when it was just a shack.
640px-Schenectady_Station_Exterior_01.jpg
640px-Schenectady_Station_Interior_00.jpg

Image by Benjamin Turon via Wikimedia

But there is a reason that it was totally rebuilt in 2018.
SCHDYtrainSTATIONnight95-940x940.jpg
IMG_7839.jpg

Image from Daily Gazette | Image by Rich Coffey
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Great example of how it's perfectly fine to build new buildings in styles that existed before 1950. I wish we had more if this in Toronto.
 
jmb said:
Can you point me to specifically where? I've gone over that site in the past and the best I could find was reference to spending $750k to have some limited detailed design done. https://www.engagewr.ca/9466/widgets/37498/documents/70014
It also references intending to use the $43m secured already to pay for it, but doesn't say phase one will consume the whole amount (nor exactly what is included in their planning, just generically "to ensure that site circulation, parking, bus loop and passenger pick up and drop off area are coordinated and can be ready for use"

The link you provided in your previous quote gives a security error. I think you may need to copy the URL on the website, rather than the amazon url it redirects you to.

Thanks, it's great to have hard numbers to work from rather than making rather speculative estimates.
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I can't seem to get static links, but my only sources are the 3 documents linked on the home page: "King-Victoria Project Update", "Design Development & Funding Project Update" and "Assumption of Duke Street ...".

There are no official "Phase 1" and "Phase 2", those are just terms I made up to clearly distinguish the funded (2022-2023) and unfunded (TBD) portions of the work.

The $43 Million is indeed the funding that has already been secured for the project, and reading between the lines, it sounds like the items included in Phase 1 (i.e. the stuff that's getting built), is as much as possible within that budget. The items themselves are those highlighted in the diagram which I copied into my post. If they were not planning to build the Waterloo Street pedestrian tunnel, then they also wouldn't build the north platform (and thus wouldn't have highlighted it in the diagram). Furthermore they state in the Update report: "Metrolinx is committed to moving forward with the work within the adjacent rail corridor to relocate their platform to the King-Victoria Transit Hub site as a critical part of the Kitchener Line expansion in preparation for two-way all-day GO service". Note that it's "the work", not "some of the work". A likely exception is the Duke Street pedestrian & bicycle tunnel, since it was a very late addition to the project and thus has not yet been designed (note on the diagram that there are no ramps to allow bicycles to enter the tunnel).

The $63M for "phase 2", is the project's total $106.1M project budget (per Funding update), minus the $43M which they already secured. The Update report states on page 2: "The King-Victoria Transit Hub station building and plaza construction is not immediately required to support the relocated Metrolinx platform and therefore would not form part of [Phase 1]. Subject to funding availability, however, this could commence immediately following [Phase 1]". The implication here being that everything other than the building and plaza were already included in Phase 1.
 
The new trail is basically complete, not overly pretty but it's functional.

Oddly no signs of where this side is supposed to connect to the platform unless that was cut. If so, big loss..

PXL_20220713_020051809.jpg
PXL_20220713_015918970.jpg


View from the trail:

PXL_20220713_020243057.NIGHT.jpg
 
emphur said:
Oddly no signs of where this side is supposed to connect to the platform unless that was cut. If so, big loss..
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The station construction scheduled for later this year includes a new bicycle bridge over King Street to connect this new path to the new station.

See on the western side of this diagram (highlighted in blue)
afbeelding1-png.370036
 
that will also cut the walk for Google Employees from their garage substantially. When I first saw them building the garage where they are I was very confused but it makes sense when seeing all the new pedestrian infrastructure which will make it a quite reasonable walk from their offices.
 
innsertnamehere said:
that will also cut the walk for Google Employees from their garage substantially. When I first saw them building the garage where they are I was very confused but it makes sense when seeing all the new pedestrian infrastructure which will make it a quite reasonable walk from their offices.
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True, though now that you mention it, the station doesn't seem to have a direct route to the platforms from the King Street sidewalks when you're coming from the north. There are ramps down from the south platform on both sides of King Street toward the south, which is a bit of a detour if you're coming from the north.

But more problematically, there is no access from the north platform to King Street at all. The westernmost access to that platform is the Waterloo Street pedestrian tunnel. Which also means that there's no indoor connection from the north platform to the station building either.
 
A few tedious pics of the site for the new Terminal. Not a thing seems to have happened since the antediluvian, still, notices lately have indicated that detailed design work is being done at this point, and the bus dropoff and pickup area will be the first to be worked on.
Link to a CBC article here.

The fenced-off lot whereon la Terminal is to sit. (Looking north-ish from King W & Victoria)
DSC_0010b.jpg




Looking easterly along Victoria from King W.
The area to the left of the white "Region Of Waterloo Transit Hub" sign will hold most of the station proper, the area between it and the reddish Rumpel Felt Building will be for bus pickup and dropoff.
DSC_0013 (2).JPG



A view from just a few steps north on King W...
The foreground area that's mostly field here will be mostly open plaza according to the current plans. I have to admit, this is part of the plan that seems a bit odd. Personally, I'd rather have a bit more indoor space to the terminal with some more retail in it and/or enlivening the street outside. But, whatevah.
DSC_0016b.jpg




The whole site looking east-ish from the west side of King St. W
DSC_0022.JPG
 
This thread will be used for discussion of the King Victoria Transit Hub (KVTH): a proposed 2-storey multi-modal transit hub and public space development providing connections to ION, GRT, GO, VIA, pedestrians and cyclists; designed by WZMH Architects for Metrolinx and Waterloo Region on the northwest corner of King Street West and Victoria Street North in Downtown Kitchener.

Relevant posts have been copied from the Waterloo Region Transit Developments thread. Please keep discussion relevant to Waterloo Region Transit, GRT, ION, etc. in general in that thread, and discussion relevant to the KVTH building in this thread.

Main rendering from WZMH posted below, additional renderings and plans can be found upthread or in the database page, via the project's EngageWR page.
1_WZMH-Architects-King-Victoria-Transit-Hub-Street-Early-Morning-Kitchener.jpg
 
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