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

[Chris R.]

The feds announced 1.7B in support for the Hamilton LRT in 2021.

This is the press release from 2021:

Federal government and province commit to shovel ready Hamilton Light Rail Transit project from McMaster to Eastgate at Centennial Park - Canada.ca

Today the Honourable Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Hamilton West – Ancaster – Dundas, and Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Transportation announced that both governments...

www.canada.ca

Nothing new here, unless funding had had been formally clawed back at some point.

The new information is the agreement to sign within 90 days (and likely the reason Aecon hasn't been announced yet as the winning bid for civil works contract)

 

[lastcommodore]

View attachment 726849
We have reference design documentation if you want to estimate radius though its no guarantee the final contract goes with this exact alignment.

I imported the image and aligned it, i find the south radius is 44 metres and the north radius is 31 metres. For reference, the Humber turn on 6FW is 40m. I would not hold my breath for >15kmh speeds on these turns.

Regardless, I am going to mostly going to posit that this is suboptimal, but not a Very Big Deal-- A well operated tram can still operate fast even with these unfortunate turns. ION in the downtown area (Willis Way - Mill) still achieves 18kmh despite the even more unfavourable geometry there.

Does anyone have a link to the full reference documents?

 

[urbanclient]

I imported the image and aligned it, i find the south radius is 44 metres and the north radius is 31 metres. For reference, the Humber turn on 6FW is 40m. I would not hold my breath for >15kmh speeds on these turns.

Regardless, I am going to mostly going to posit that this is suboptimal, but not a Very Big Deal-- A well operated tram can still operate fast even with these unfortunate turns. ION in the downtown area (Willis Way - Mill) still achieves 18kmh despite the even more unfavourable geometry there.

Does anyone have a link to the full reference documents?

I roughly estimated it myself, I was getting 30 metres radius at most, might be closer to 25 metres for the north radius (King and Dundurn). Could be wrong though.

And "not a Very Big Deal", yes. Assuming the Citadis Spirits are fixed by the time the line is open. I'm almost sure there is rolling stock with non-pivoting bogies that turn better.

 

[Corktownie]

I imported the image and aligned it, i find the south radius is 44 metres and the north radius is 31 metres. For reference, the Humber turn on 6FW is 40m. I would not hold my breath for >15kmh speeds on these turns.

Regardless, I am going to mostly going to posit that this is suboptimal, but not a Very Big Deal-- A well operated tram can still operate fast even with these unfortunate turns. ION in the downtown area (Willis Way - Mill) still achieves 18kmh despite the even more unfavourable geometry there.

Does anyone have a link to the full reference documents?

Here is the full document: https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/defau...ailTransit_Hamilton-LRT-Conceptual-Design.pdf

I think you're right that the curves themsevles are not a very big deal, but the number of traffic signals might be much more of a problem. Where the old alignment had one traffic signal (King/Dundurn), this alignment has three (King/Dundurn, plaza entrance, Main/Dundurn). There better be some very aggressive signal priority or this could easily end up adding a couple of extra minutes to every trip.

 

[Sunllie]

Im making this a separate comment because it's essentially rumour creating, but Aecon has recently posted a ton of jobs in Hamilton for a large civil works infrastructure project requiring multiple GIS experts, Executive Assistant for the Utilities Division of the Urban Transportation Solutions sector, Risk Analyst, PLAA, Track Manager, and a Community Engagement.

Take of that what you will.

The Track Manager posting says a lot.

 

[smallspy]

I think the bigger issue with our LRTs is the lack of speed on straightaways. LRT can operate at 60km/h - 80km/h, and yet our LRTs often travel at 30-40km/h for two large reasons:

1) LRT cannot have their own speed limit, so if automobiles have a 40 km/h speed limit this applied to the centre running, tracked LRT for whatever reason.

Says who?

In Toronto the LRTs have been given a maximum speed limit 10km/h higher than the adjoining roadway lanes.

2) Risk avoidance, being scared of running them too quickly because of fear of issues. For whatever reason we are unable to build fast and safe transit. It has to be slow to be safe apparently.

In large part, that's largely of a function of the entities maintaining the LRTs, who in Toronto are not the ones operating them. If Hamilton were to follow that same example, then it shouldn't be as much of a problem.

However, if you have a system maintainer who is also responsible for operating the LRT and creating the schedules, then provided there is no incentive to provide a brisk service in the contract than the results are going to be self-evident - and disappointing.

Hamilton's LRT should be able to hit 60km/h along much of this route but will be limited by the automobile speed limit (which is 50km but should be 40) and will be run like a risky piece of infrastructure, accelerated like it's fill with people made of glass.

Again, it depends on who is chosen to be the operator. Hamilton should do its level best to make sure that it is the HSR calling the shots on that front, and not some faceless consortium who's primary target is meeting quarterly profit margins.

Dan

 

[Chris R.]

Says who?

In Toronto the LRTs have been given a maximum speed limit 10km/h higher than the adjoining roadway lanes.

Says Metrolinx staff when asked. They were clear the LRT would travel the posted speed limit for the entire ROW and be applicable to all modes.

Where in Toronto have separate speed limits been used? I ask because the Hamilton LRT is not a street car but it is also very much not a fully grade separated (except intersections) LRT like Finch or Eglinton. The curbs in made places for example are planned to be easily mountable curbs for use by emergency vehicles.

 

[hw621]

Unfortunately 99.9% chance, unless Metrolinx changes the procurement to another vehicle.

Which all indications seem like they dont plan on changing whatsoever, because they're incapable of learning from mistakes.

ML never admits that Citrus is a mistake. Nothing to learn from...

 

[smallspy]

Says Metrolinx staff when asked. They were clear the LRT would travel the posted speed limit for the entire ROW and be applicable to all modes.

Where in Toronto have separate speed limits been used? I ask because the Hamilton LRT is not a street car but it is also very much not a fully grade separated (except intersections) LRT like Finch or Eglinton. The curbs in made places for example are planned to be easily mountable curbs for use by emergency vehicles.
View attachment 727043

Both of the LRTs that have been built and opened - Eglinton, between Leslie and Kennedy, and Finch between Keele and Hwy 27 - have these higher limits. If you dig around in the Finch West or Eglinton threads, you'll see links to the relevant reports.

Streetcars, on the other hand, are limited to the same speed of the road.

Dan

 

[Sunllie]

Does anybody know if there's somewhere that shows the properties that Metrolinx expropriated?

 

[Chris R.]

Does anybody know if there's somewhere that shows the properties that Metrolinx expropriated?

Someone sent me a few, there's a way to find out. I think it may be something accessible to only Urban planner and real estate folks.

Edit: they looked through the land registry.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Says Metrolinx staff when asked. They were clear the LRT would travel the posted speed limit for the entire ROW and be applicable to all modes.

Where in Toronto have separate speed limits been used? I ask because the Hamilton LRT is not a street car but it is also very much not a fully grade separated (except intersections) LRT like Finch or Eglinton. The curbs in made places for example are planned to be easily mountable curbs for use by emergency vehicles.
View attachment 727043

The Hamilton light rail cars will decide the dimensions and design of the right-of-way. Unlike Toronto's streetcar legacy network , which is the opposite.

 

[mdrejhon]

The Hamilton light rail cars will decide the dimensions and design of the right-of-way. Unlike Toronto's streetcar legacy network , which is the opposite.

I am admittedly hoping that LRV selection forces an improved traversal solution over the 403 like a "slip track lane" that bypasses one or two of the stoplights.

Not enough turning radius? Boop the nose of the shiny train; you're no longer going through stoplights, baby!

Expropriation of a few meters of east edge of Dundurn Mall (lose only a little asphalt bedding for sleeping cars) gives you room for a slip track that's off Dundurn street. Then you bypass Dundurn-Main stoplight with dedicated corridor turn for LRVs on the inside curve.

There would be related domino effects to a theoretical Dundurn TOD redevelopment (multiuse shebang replacing Dundurn Mall with underground parking garage that could also double as an efficient bus station for 403 buses). I tooted the idea a few years ago. More likely not till 2040s-2050s, but should be at least noted in masterplans.

I created this graphic ten years ago:

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Looks like there will be an announcement this week.

Hamilton LRT construction contract announcement looms​

 

[Allandale25]

Looks like there will be an announcement this week.

Hamilton LRT construction contract announcement looms​

Text of the article minus the embedded hyperlinks.

Title: Hamilton LRT construction contract announcement looms
Publication: The Hamilton Spectator
Date: April 29, 2026
Author: Mac Christie

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Hamilton LRT construction contract announcement looms

A contract award for construction on Hamilton’s long-delayed LRT project is expected to be announced this week, The Spectator has learned.

A first phase of work for Hamilton’s off-and-on-again light rail transit project went to tender last year, with provincial transit agency Metrolinx estimating the contract would be awarded in “early” 2026.

That contract is expected to include digging up and relocating utilities and pipes along the 14-kilometre lower city route, as well as bridge and road work.

There has been no news on the procurement in the first four months of the year.

But Mayor Andrea Horwath teased a looming project update in her speech at the annual mayor’s breakfast hosted by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, suggesting an announcement on the LRT project is “coming down the tracks very soon.”

“I know that for a long time, LRT in Hamilton felt like a whole lot of promise and not a lot of delivery,” she told about 500 business and community leaders at LIUNA Station. “That’s changing too — and you’ll see very, very soon.”

Horwath, who will seek re-election in October’s municipal vote, characterized the multibillion-dollar project as “generational investment” that will modernize Hamilton’s transit system and renew city infrastructure.

The mayor declined to share more details about the pending announcement, but The Spectator later confirmed from another political source that news on a provincial contract award is expected this week.

That contract award won’t mean immediate shovels in the ground, however. Metrolinx has previously cautioned at least 18 months will be needed for a design and development phase ahead of the big dig.

A second contract will also be needed for work to add tracks, a maintenance facility and trains to complete the LRT project. According to a recent procurement pipeline report from Metrolinx — which lists upcoming procurements — a request for proposals for “installation of stops, rail and LRT systems along the 14-km route” is expected to be published between April and June 2027.

The long-discussed project was controversially cancelled by the province in 2019 before being resurrected with a $3.4-billion joint agreement between the province and the federal government in 2021. The 14-kilometre, 17-stop rapid transit line is slated to run between McMaster University and Eastgate Square in the lower city.

Dozens of buildings in the way of the train along the King-Main corridor have been purchased by Metrolinx and demolished — a process that has also forced more than 100 tenants, home and business owners to relocate.

The looming contract announcement is expected to cover work like private and public utilities, bridges, grade separations and road work. It will also feature relocation and renewal of utilities that run parallel to the future LRT tracks, plus streetscape, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and bus integration.