Hamilton Hamilton Line B LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

How the British look at the goings on with the Hamilton LRT alleged cancellation.

From http://www.tautonline.com/hamilton-lrt-project-cancelled/ at this link.

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The light rail project for Hamilton (Canada) was cancelled in a shock announcement on 16 December, just months after Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed that the scheme was included in the Province’s budget. Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney made the announcement in a statement, citing cost overruns and inaccurate project estimates.​
The cancellation was met with surprise as bids from three shortlisted consortia – CityLine Transit Group, Ei8ht Transit and Mobilinx – to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the 14km (8.7-mile) line were expected in the Spring.​
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger called the decision a “betrayal by the Province”, adding: “This will not only hurt Hamilton’s economy, but Ontario’s economy. The message to the world is that Ontario is an unreliable partner. Ontario is not a place where you can do business because of the Ford government. Their timing on this is just outrageous. If they were going to do this, they could have picked a better way.”​
Ms Mulroney’s statement emphasised that the previous Liberal administration’s
CAD1bn (EUR690 000) estimate did not reflect the project’s actual cost and that an independent review commissioned by the Province showed that the proposed line would in fact cost CAD5.5bn (EUR3.8bn). Her statement went on to claim that the previous provincial administration had failed to include a CAD1bn provision for long-term operating and maintenance costs.​
Former Liberal Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca responded in a statement saying that Ford had “been searching for a way to kill the Hamilton LRT.”​
Ms Mulroney added that the Province is to pledge CAD1bn to develop public transport services in Hamilton for projects “that can be delivered quickly and in a fiscally responsible manner.” Plans for these schemes are due to be reported in February and may still include elements of light rail.​
The LRT project, known as the Hamilton Street Railway in a reference to the street tramway that ran in the city over half a century ago, was planned to connect Eastgate Square shopping mall and downtown Hamilton with McMaster University. The City of Hamilton and Metrolinx have already spent a reported CAD80-100m (EUR55-69m) to acquire properties, with CAD165m (EUR114m) spent on the project in total.​
Both City of Hamilton officials and local business leaders have been highly critical of the cancellation decision.​
“It’s going to have a huge impact on the investment climate here,” said Keanin Loomis, President and CEO of Hamilton Chamber of Commerce in response to the news. “The developers will tell you, time after time, that it’s because of the LRT project and they paused when the new government came in because everyone was wondering ‘will they continue to go forward with this?’ They said they would, so the projects went forward.”​
An estimated 5000 workers from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) were expecting to work on the line, according to spokesperson Victoria Mancinelli, who described the cancellation as a “slap in the face”.​
LiUNA was also critical of the figures, claiming the Province’s estimate factored-in elements not included in other LRT projects such as the new lines planned for Mississauga and Brampton, adding that the Province should have waited until the RFP closed in early 2020. The union has launched its own audit of the Province’s figures to challenge estimates that include capital costs of CAD2.8bn (EUR1.93bn) and operating and maintenance costs that over 30 years add up to the claimed total of CAD5.55bn.​
Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has confirmed that she will include a full appraisal of how reasonable the Province’s cost estimates for the Hamilton LRT project are as part of an upcoming ‘value for money’ audit of Metrolinx. Observers suggest this may be a blow to Metrolinx’s other light rail ambitions.​
Ms Lysyk confirmed the audit in response to questions from local politicians as to why the stated cost-per-kilometre figures for the Hamilton scheme are significantly higher than the Hurontario and Finch West lines.​
 
Once Ford is out of office, hopefully the next provincal goverment will commit to at least attempting to build it
Attempt? ;)

Obligatory very-old meme that predates memes:
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Seriously though; odds of resurrection does indeed dramatically increase after Ford leaves.

However, even before then, onus is us to make sure that Hamilton is not shortchanged of the approved $3.7B ($1B capital + 30 year maintenance & operating costs on top) just like maintenance and operating was also awarded for Hurontario LRT.

There are many residents, businessmen, developers, stakeholders, kids, university students are furious -- my sense is that there is even more furiousness than the temperature of Ottawa after Ottawa's 2006 LRT cancellation. That atmosphere leads to crazy circus politics that leads (over a few years) to an LRT resurrection. Many candidates will run on LRT resurrection. I just hope that whatever resurrected plan is good quality.
 
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I know that once Ford won that any transit projects not already started would be canceled. He did not surprise me.
I suppose we should be thankful that contracts were already signed on Finch West.

Beginning to think every transit project needs to be packaged with a royal cancellation fee to the consortium involved, just to protect the project from the next government.
 
I suppose we should be thankful that contracts were already signed on Finch West.

Beginning to think every transit project needs to be packaged with a royal cancellation fee to the consortium involved, just to protect the project from the next government.

Didn't stop gas plants or windfarms.

AoD
 
It also didn't stop the Eglinton Subway.
Silver lining:

The formerly cancelled Eglinton subway now exists, reborn as Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Hamilton LRT, is all but certain, to have repeated attempts at resurrections. They're not going to give up rolling the dice.
 
Silver lining:

The formerly cancelled Eglinton subway now exists, reborn as Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Hamilton LRT, is all but certain, to have repeated attempts at resurrections. They're not going to give up rolling the dice.
Except it's not a "subway" and doesn't go to its original planned terminal. The point is that the mode of higher-order transit is still up the Air. BRT can (and probably will) be the downgrade the system receives.
 
Yup. I'm picturing a couple hundred million spent on a BRT system as well as some highway and other Transit Signal Priority upgrades like queue jump lanes in specific locations. My guess list:

- BRT from Mcmaster to Eastgate, including the full reconstruction of both Main and King Sts.
- Transit Signal Priority measures on a few other routes
- Highway 5/6 interchange in Waterdown
- Twinning Highway 6 from the 403 to the airport
- anything left going to upgrading the 403 towards an eventual widening, likely in the form of a few bridge replacements.
 
- Twinning Highway 6 from the 403 to the airport
Is that needed? I know it was constructed with that in mind and bridges built for it, etc... but anytime I've been on it--it's been about five years since I was there--it was operating at about 10% capacity, if not only 5%. Has Mount Hope boomed in population or something?
 
Maybe Hamilton "deserves" a subway - somebody tell Thug and the bucks will start rolling in!
 
Is that needed? I know it was constructed with that in mind and bridges built for it, etc... but anytime I've been on it--it's been about five years since I was there--it was operating at about 10% capacity, if not only 5%. Has Mount Hope boomed in population or something?
I drive it fairly regularly, and while its not really over capacity, the airport is growing rapidly, it services most of Hamilton's employment growth areas, and Caledonia has seen some pretty major residential development which has significantly increased traffic. The entire area around the airport is designated employment lands that are finally starting to see the first bits of development, as that continues the amount of commercial traffic will increase proportionately, especially between Book Rd and the 403. Twinning it would largely be an act of "future proofing". I list it largely because its a Hamilton specific provincial project that would be fairly cheap to implement. It's "low hanging fruit" so to speak.

It's capacity in rush hour right now probably sits around 80% full I would say, the light at Book Rd is more or less as full as it gets without having to wait 2 signal cycles to get through.
 

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