High-Speed Rail (HSR) - Toronto/Pearson/Kitchener/London

[Pheidippides]

This is exactly why the region and city need to be reminded that projects like the current Lancaster Street Reconstruction (Victoria Street to Bridgeport Road, Design 2017 – 2019, Construction 2020) needs to be re-done as a grade separation or the chance is lost for 50 years.

Quite right. Lancaster and Bingeman are the key ones in Kitchener (St Leger could easily be closed if Lancaster were grade-separated). Sadly Bingeman was built as a level crossing.

Is grade separation being seriously considered for this project?

When I contacted the region last July this was the response:

The Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for Lancaster Street is just getting started, and a grade separation at the railway will be one of the options considered. 
 
The current budget is based on one possible outcome of the EA for financial forecasting purposes only.
 
If a grade separation ended up being the preferred option and it was approved by Council, then the capital budget would be revised and the overall capital program would be updated.
 
The comments you provided below, together with all comments received during the course of the EA, will be considered by the Lancaster Street project team.
 
The other crossings, as you noted, are City streets.  The City would deal with those in their own master planning and capital budget processes.
 
If you would like any more information about the Lancaster Street EA or if you wish to provide any further comments, you can contact our project manager, Peter Linn, at Plinn@regionofwaterloo.ca.