I am loathe to defend Bloomington - it's an overbuilt station most certainly. But pushing the tracks that far up the line made sense, to try to draw cars off the 404. A much more modest station was all that was needed.
The Bloomington design actually predates the current government, btw. There was a period where the previous government was endorsing all sorts of grandiose stations, mostly because stations can be built faster than tracks and they simply wanted things for photo ops. Hamilton got its share in that era, as evidenced by the Pan Am games emphasis that made West Harbour a priority. (and yes, once the games were over, ML did seem to forget about completing the work, and both the station and the triple tracking from it over thru Bayview sat half-done for years thereafter).
More recently, Ford has not shown an interest in Hamilton mostly as it was NDP territory.... the cancellation of the LRT and Minister Mulroney's cowardly backout of that public meeting certainly speaks volumes......but to make the picture complete, Hamilton Council has sent all sorts of messages over the years that it didn't want that transit either.
The recent bit of track and signalling at Aldershot at least enables more frequent service than hourly when ML is ready to offer it. The Hunter Street tunnel is a some-day proposition. I would put extensions to the Grimsby line beyond Stoney Creek as more deserving of scarce funding. Confederation could certainly be advanced faster.
So while I can't say that Hamilton has escaped a few low blows, I would not say the city has been singled out. There is certainly an opportunity that is being missed - to intensify and upscale Hamilton as a cheaper and better way to add density in the GTA than trying to force it into a reluctant Toronto. I would support a concerted effort to drive growth in Hamilton. But - be careful what you ask for - where does Hamilton stand on the yellow belt issue? Is Hamilton ready to build 4-plexes as of right?
- Paul
