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

Duck said:
Is the LRT in Hamilton actually happening? Or is it still in the decision phase?
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Definitely happening. This time around.

They're hiring now for Hamilton LRT!

Some details I've learned (we livetweeted the Sept 23 meeting).

2015 (end) -- LRT office reopens. Will grow to 100 employees (city+metrolinx combined).
2016 -- existing plans/EA adjusted (probably existing B-line will change only by ~10%)
2017 -- contracts signed (construction, vehicles) before next election
2019 -- construction begins
2023 (approx) -- operational

All 3 levels are co-operating now (city-provincial-federal) and the council, despite its antics, is far more unified this time around. Even more so than Brampton! Some outliers like Stoney Creek, but that opposition has been silenced by funding a GO station for them (Stoney Creek GO) from the same LRT funding pot ($1.2bn combined funds). Yes, despite Bob taking the Stoney Creek riding.

The LRT advocacy (Twittter, Facebook, Web coming soon) exists to get the best overall social and economic benefits.
-- Such as station safety near the proposed new school.
-- Helping businesses survive construction.
-- Myth-busting
-- Defending the LRT from anti-LRT detractors.
-- Ideas on maximizing passengers. Lobbying for best HSR bus network modifications and frequency improvements to feed LRT. (we still need that bus expansion and bus garage too)
-- Relaying ideas from residents.
-- Making sure LRT helps local jobs.
-- Defending LRT against outlier councillors that hurt the system (e.g. removal of green-light priority for LRT).
-- Highlighting positivity. Etc.

We have already and plan to continue to meet city/Metrolinx people (as a community group ourselves relaying combined input from residents). To date we haven't accepted any government dollar but as residents we will benefit ourselves from the LRT (obviously). You can see our work in the existing social media campaigns (Twittter, Facebook) we've started since early September.

Scroll the social media history back and you'll see retweets and relays of citizen ideas, and visits to actual businesses, citizen ideas that were relayed, business concerns, etc. We actually learned who will get hurt and who will benefit (e.g. smalltime coffeeshops: they get increased business from tired construction workers). A bowling alley is complaining about loss of parking and non-response from the city -- we've explained to him that there were no city no LRT employees for 2014 and to date. The old LRT office got shut down from the previous administration's antics, but this highly pro-LRT administration will put the shovel into the ground.

But we are around to help the process along. I'm also studying Waterloo business disruption to get ideas on how to help our local businesses survive, and we'll be advocating on minimizing pain for all parties, too.
 
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Article on RaiseTheHammer:

"Brampton's LRT Loss Could Expand Hamilton LRT"

brampton-chop-for-hamilton.png


In the comments, apparently, a councillor is raising a motion to investigate asking for an expansion funds.
 

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mdrejhon said:
Article on RaiseTheHammer:

"Brampton's LRT Loss Could Expand Hamilton LRT"

In the comments, apparently, a councillor is raising a motion to investigate asking for an expansion funds.
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Good. I hope Hamilton and other cities start lining up to support Metrolinx's original plans for LRT or BRT in their cities, just to stick it to Brampton.

I'm normally not one for being bitter and vengeful, but in cases like Brampton and Toronto where councils turn down rational transit planning and funding commitments for them, then I think sending a clear message is necessary.
 
Hamilton I think has one of the best cases for taking that additional money:

1) The timelines for the HMLRT and the Hamilton LRT are quite similar, so not too much budget maneuvering would need to take place (between Fiscal Years I mean).

2) The scope of the LRT was cut back from what it initially was, so a longer route has already been studied compared to what was funded.

3) Laying the groundwork for the base of the A-Line LRT now makes any extension up the mountain easier to fund, and easier to approve by the City (politically). Mountain Councillors would likely not object to using some city money for LRT if that money was going to be used to extend the line to the mountain.

4) It's drawing from the same pot as the HMLRT. This is in contrast to places like London, Kitchener, or Ottawa, which are drawing from a different funding pot.
 
Perhaps, but local steel would have a very strong economic case anyway. There would be very little transportation cost -- it's just transported a mere few kilometers. Track steel is very heavy, after all. Even without U.S. Steel, there's others such as Dofasco who's probably watching the upcoming 2017 procurement. I heard from my Metrolinx contact and the answer of whose steel will be answered during procurement (target of 2017). I'm sure local steel businesses will be watching and bidding.
 
mdrejhon said:
There are rather strong unions in Hamilton, that would want a word with Metrolinx, about that "little" matter.

At least, that's what I heard...
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I would think the case for using Hamilton steel would be more political and emotional than economic. If nothing else, it would boost support for the project(s) in Hamilton. It would be something like "Supporting LRT means supporting jobs in Hamilton". The link is tenuous at best, but it makes a great bumper sticker slogan. It may be enough to get a few councillors who are on the fence onto the pro-LRT side, especially when it comes to Phase II expansions (B-Line extensions and/or A-Line), some of which will likely need to be footed by Hamilton taxpayers at the municipal level.
 
All of the steel for Kitchener/Waterloo's system came from SDI in the US. I don't see rail coming from China.
 
The first thing to check would presumably be whether Hamilton steel facilities operational at present can actually produce the type and shape of steel required?
 
smallspy said:
They can't, and haven't since the late 1970s.
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Good point; the needed composition and forging may not be local.

In the late 1970s, trains were in decline.
That's no longer the case, with GO, VIA, LRT expansions (and about to possibly accelerate, too).

Thought: Is it economically viable to start producing local rail steel again, given rail expansion?
 
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