Hamilton Street Railway

[Wayside Observer]

12 hours ago, CLRV4094 said:

https://youtu.be/0z4LUdpIhXw

Catherine McKenna confirmed in this YouTube video that the funding is for the LRT 

Thanks for that.  I watched the whole video and Hamilton's city councillors are living down to expectations as usual.  How many times has city hall signed off on the LRT now?  And it has to happen again?  We're not talking about a scope change from the previous routing that was approved either, it's the same McMaster to Eastgate but no West Harbour / beginnings of the A line spur that they approved and had gone to construction preparation when the Ford clowns cancelled it in 2019.

I took a look at the Hamilton Spectator website this morning and there was an article covering the same municipal LRT hesitancy and it mentioned that if the city approves it, shovels could be in the ground by 2023.  2023?  Holy cow.  It's not like there isn't a big head start on building the damn thing.  All those properties that Metrolinx acquired don't have to be bought again.  The ones that have been demolished already don't need to be torn down again.  The Queenston Rd. bridge over the Redhill Parkway doesn't need to be inspected to see if it can carry LRT trains again.  The oil pipeline that cuts through the Queenston/Main traffic circle doesn't need to be reinforced again.  Hell, I drove out there and took pictures of that work going on with actual shovels in actual ground with actual work taking place about a week before it got kiboshed because I was in disbelief it was actually happening.  Two years to get started with this big head start and all that plus other stuff I've forgotten about done and out of the way?  Shovels should be getting into the ground a hell of a lot faster than that especially since the companies preparing bids should be able to more or less pick up where they left off with their bid packages in 2019 rather than a cold start from zero there too.  If it hadn't been cancelled in 2019, by 2023 it should've been well underway and closer to being finished than getting started even with Metrolinx stalling and digging their heels in to drag it out as long as possible.

Two years to get started sounds like a Metrolinx estimate to me.  Two years to get started sounds like Metrolinx is going to go back to stalling and dragging it out and wait for a bunch of election cycles to play out in the hopes another politican gets voted in and revokes their level of government's side of the funding agreement so the whole thing unravels and it gets cancelled again.

All of which leaves me two questions:

Is Metrolinx good for anything?

Is Hamilton's city council good for anything?

[Wayside Observer]

We have our answer.  According to the CBC it's LRT or no deal, say ministers, in other words, the people who are actually stumping up the big bucks to pay for it.  This means the city of Hamilton finagaling for a BRT (it would have to be with electric buses to hit the emissions reduction requirement of the federal money) instead is off the table.

I talked to someone in Hamilton and they added another thing that got done and out of the way before the LRT was cancelled in 2019 and should contribute to a head start on construction for real and that was a pretty extensive geotechnical survey of the underground utilities etc. along most of the line, if not all of it.  That would only need to be redone on a spot check basis where underground utility work's been performed in the last two years, and even then, may not be needed in all cases.  All in all, I actually agree with the federal government's assessment that it's a shovel ready project.  A lot of the enabling work and property acquisition and emolition has already been done so two years between Hamilton city hall agreeing to it and starting construction has got to be Metrolinx.  And as of 1:00 PM today, Metrolinx is distracted.  Metrolinx's attention's been diverted to eyeing Grehound and horsing in on their territory once they fold tomorrow night which clears the way for a little empire building expansion into Greyhound's bus routes.  Metrolinx is going to be a little bit preoccupied with this sudden, unexpected windfall of good fortune with Greyhound going bust to worry themselves with doing actual work on getting the Hamilton LRT done.

Now that federal and provincial governments have firmed up the big money and gone on record stating it's for LRT only, that leaves only one last big question unanswered at the municipal level:  What is Hamilton city hall going to do with it?  We might get an answer once the debates about whether four or five string banjos sound better, if all cars owned or operated within Hamilton city limits should be mandated to have tail fins, and if beer cans should be whipped overhand or underhand at the rabbit ears on top of the TV set when the picture gets fuzzy are all settled.

 

[CLRV4094]

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-other/muskoka/2005-new-flyer-d40lf/1566639240?undefined
 

Retired D40LF 0501 has appeared on Kijji in Musoska

[Wayside Observer]

The morning isn't complete unless some politican makes your coffee come out your nose.  This morning's laugh is courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator:

Liberal MP Bob Bratina ‘can’t defend’ LRT funding, won’t run in next federal election

That's former mayor Bob.  The same Bob who made a fabulous political career out of nothing more than "vote for me because I used to announce Tiger Cat games on the radio".  The Bob who thinks the constituents are there to serve him because he's not there to serve his constituents.  That Bob.  That was just the headline.  Let's get into the article itself:

Liberal MP Bob Bratina will not run in the next federal election because of his government’s decision to fund a Hamilton LRT.

On one hand, Bob might be the most principled politician out there right now because he's decided to fall on his own sword over this.  On the other hand, he's 77 years old and he isn't quitting now, he's going to finish out his current term as member of parliament which is his second, and that makes him eligable forthe parliamentary pension.  Instead of resigning on principal right now, he's going to ride it out until the next federal election which might not even be that far away and then cash in.  The back room party insiders probably don't want a resignation right now because Trudeau's got enough problems without adding even more palace intrigue when there's a good chance there's going to be an election campaign soon so it's a win-win on both sides if Bob quietly sticks it out a little longer.

Let's continue with the article:

The federal Liberals and provincial Progressive Conservatives announced $3.4 billion last week to help resurrect an infamously cancelled light rail transit project — the largest infrastructure investment in Hamilton’s history.

But Bratina, the MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, did not participate in his government’s virtual announcement.

“I just can’t defend it,” he said in an interview Monday morning. “They are saying this is a good project for Hamilton but I know in my heart it is not ... I don’t know how I could continue as a member of the governing party.”

This is approximately where the coffee went out the nose.  If Bob was looking for an exit strategy that lets him retire without having to wear it on his own, it works well but I think there's more than that.  At 77 years of age, there's nothing undignified or scandalous about announcing one's retirement so he could've graciously done that instead and not commented on the LRT.  Instead, he's packing up his toys and going home because $3.4 billion of largesse is being showered on the city of Hamilton including his riding to build the first line of the proposed BLAST rapid tranist system and he isn't happy about Hamilton moving up in the world and joining the long, long list of cities around the world that have light rail systems.  Bob's idea of transit improvement is making cars with tail fins again.  Returning to the article:

The former mayor appears to be an outlier in his own party.

No kidding.  He sticks out like a sore thumb but it makes sense:  Bob's always been in it for Bob.  He actually droped out of the mayoral race paving the way for Eisenberger to return in order to run federally.  It's always been about Bob climbing the ladder to Bob's benefit.  The constituents?  They're just the useful idiots who shove the votes into the ballot box to enable the whole thing.  Let's get back to the article:

Liberal Infrastructure Minister and Hamilton native Catherine McKenna, who announced the federal investment last Thursday, said the “shovel-ready” project would create thousands of jobs coming out of the pandemic, making transit more reliable on the city’s busiest corridor and spur development, including affordavble housing.

“It’s going to be awesome,” she said, urging city councillors to “seize the day” and endorse the project, which still needs a muncipal agreement to handle operating and maintenance costs.

These would be some of the actual benefits of building the LRT.  You know, the things that politicians typically try to deliver to their constituents.  Operating and maintenance costs shouldn't be that bad.  The infrastructure's going to have a manufacturer's warranty on it.  The cars are going to have a manufacturer's warranty on them.  The project's going to include a free maintenance facility.  The project's going to include free vehicles.  Larger vehicles meaning fewer vehicles which means fewer operating and mainteanance units with lower operating and maintenance costs.  Paying to maintain the infrastructure's going to be 6 for one, half a dozen the other since the city already maintains the roads the buses run on anyways and Hamilton's off the hook for buying buses and building a garage for them etc. so there are savings to be had if it's done carefully.  That's the $3.4 billion dollar question though, will the city go for it?  City council, where former mayor Bob came from, is full of people just like former mayor Bob so that's an open question.

Back to the article:

Bratina said he had planned to run federally again under the Liberal banner — until Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna announced $1.7 billion in matching funds alongside the province to resurrect the LRT project that was cancelled just 16 months ago.

The MP said he was not consulted about the decision and his concerns about the project were “totally ignored.”

Bratina was Hamilton mayor when council first asked the province for 100-percent capital funding for light rail transit, but he has repeatedly spoken out against the project as a city priority.

He did so again Monday, calling the 14-kilometre, Main-King corridor LRT line a “like-to-have, not a need-to-have.”

Bitter, bitter Bob.  Former mayor bob asked for 100% capital funding, obviously he was trying to call the senior levels of government's bluff, but they came through on money for the Hamilton LRT twice now.  Now Bob doesn't want to play with the federal liberals anymore.  Ok, so if the LRT is nice to have, what does Hamilton need?  It's not like Bob's pushed for anything for his constituents whether it's the LRT or something else or a combination of both.  The funding announcement is for LRT only yes or no, not LRT or something else.  Which means the file of "everything else" is just as much on the city of Hamilton to handle today as it was before this was announced so nothing changes there.  The LRT doesn't affect anything else the city has to deal with other than it's going to pay for a lot of underground utility work along the route and a bridge replacement that the city's going to have to eat out of their own pockets if they turn the LRT down.

Bratina said he would continue to serve as MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek until the next federal election.

When asked, he said he would not rule out another potential mayoral run, but also emphasized he is focused on the remainder of his term. “That speculation is not coming from me,” he said.

Totally.  He isn't going to walk out now, he's going to make sure he collects on that parliamentary pension.  Never mind any party political backroom arm twisting going on about causing a by-election, Bob's not going to give up that pension, not with it so close.  But another mayoral run?  Bob loves being the focus of attention.  Look at that long career on the radio.  Look at that career in politics he parlayed that into without doing any actual work for his constituents.  Another mayoral run makes sense in that context but reinstating former mayor Bob as the mayor is not what Hamilton needs.  Bob being in charge of anything is the last thing that any place needs.

More to come.

Hopefully more to come refers to the LRT.  Hopefully Bob goes away quietly and stays away.  That he can't graciously accept a massive $3.4 billion investment in his community even though he doesn't necessarily agree with it is pretty galling.  This is the sort of garbage that left me with the impression that Hamilton's a backwards hick town.

[brianc1981]

I met Bob Bratina once and was talking to him about LRT and he said it was garbage and that as it is Hamilton has to much bus service as it is. Everyone drives so why operate buses. I asked him what he would do instead of building LRT and he said he would rather build new roads and improve roads in and around Dundas connecting to Waterdown or out in Stoney Creek. I am pretty sure he is completely out to lunch, his mindset is it is still the 1970's and that what we have is not necessary. Let alone building for the future. 

My thoughts about why LRT is good here (and I am not trying to turn this into a comment on for or against LRT). 

The reason it is good, is it will allow more developers to build up areas along the corridor. Especially around the Queenston traffic circle, and even Eastgate. There was talk at one point that the mall owners were going to redevelop the site of the mall. New condo and apartment towers, tear down parts of the mall and build new buildings across the property, with some parts of the retail built right into parts of the residential buildings. Even through parts of downtown there could be better development along areas that are underdeveloped as is. Currently there are plans to renovate First Ontario centre and the Hamilton City Centre mall as well as the convention centre, and there have been talks (not sure if anything is confirmed) for redeveloping parts of Jackson Square also. Building the LRT would be great to help get people either into or out of Downtown. 

Just look that Kitchener and Waterloo. Downtown Kitchener is getting a massive boost with all the construction of new buildings there. It would make sense for Hamilton to get the LRT and then be able to completely rebuild a bus network to feed into the LRT better. In my opinion building the LRT will benefit Hamilton now and in the future. It will help build Hamilton into a great city and it hopefully will help to eliminate some of the problems that are plaguing the city (think homelessness and drug issues). 

[Wayside Observer]

18 hours ago, brianc1981 said:

I met Bob Bratina once and was talking to him about LRT and he said it was garbage and that as it is Hamilton has to much bus service as it is. Everyone drives so why operate buses. I asked him what he would do instead of building LRT and he said he would rather build new roads and improve roads in and around Dundas connecting to Waterdown or out in Stoney Creek. I am pretty sure he is completely out to lunch, his mindset is it is still the 1970's and that what we have is not necessary. Let alone building for the future.

Thanks for posting this because it's very insightful.  No wonder Bob Bratina is completely opposed to the LRT.  If he thinks Hamilton has too much bus service already, that explains a lot.

I don't think his mindset is stuck in the 1970s though.  The 1970s was when a lot of places that had streetcars decided to keep them and started overhauling PCCs and looking for new vehicles which is why things like Boeings and CLRVs and Kawasakis started showing up at the end of the decade or the very early 1980s (SEPTA's prototype Kawasakis have 1980 on their builders plates and the production cars 1981) after being developed during the 70s.  Plans were made, construction took place, and the start of new LRT systems in Edmonton, Calgary, and San Diego all dated from within the 1970s and opened right at the start of the 1980s.

Bob Bratina's absolute hatred for LRT and distain for 'too much' bus service is more like post-war fantasy of the 1950s when paving everything in sight to provide even more roads for you to take your own private land yacht of a car out on was seen as progress.  That actually agrees with his 'build more roads' position he stated to you.  Thing is, building more roads in the locations he mentioned doesn't do anything to improve things along the LRT route since they're geographically separate locations and he isn't advocating buying strips of buildings and tearing them down to widen King and Main streets.

18 hours ago, brianc1981 said:

My thoughts about why LRT is good here (and I am not trying to turn this into a comment on for or against LRT). 

The reason it is good, is it will allow more developers to build up areas along the corridor. Especially around the Queenston traffic circle, and even Eastgate. There was talk at one point that the mall owners were going to redevelop the site of the mall. New condo and apartment towers, tear down parts of the mall and build new buildings across the property, with some parts of the retail built right into parts of the residential buildings. Even through parts of downtown there could be better development along areas that are underdeveloped as is. Currently there are plans to renovate First Ontario centre and the Hamilton City Centre mall as well as the convention centre, and there have been talks (not sure if anything is confirmed) for redeveloping parts of Jackson Square also. Building the LRT would be great to help get people either into or out of Downtown. 

Just look that Kitchener and Waterloo. Downtown Kitchener is getting a massive boost with all the construction of new buildings there. It would make sense for Hamilton to get the LRT and then be able to completely rebuild a bus network to feed into the LRT better. In my opinion building the LRT will benefit Hamilton now and in the future. It will help build Hamilton into a great city and it hopefully will help to eliminate some of the problems that are plaguing the city (think homelessness and drug issues). 

I agree completely.  There was a newspaper article I read a few years ago where some city council meeting went lopsided over the LRT and it sounded like they wanted either the whole BLAST network to be built at once or reject LRT completely.  It was insane.  Constructing rapid transit is expensive which rules out any level of government dropping an entire four or five line LRT network on Hamilton all at once but the premise they had at Hamilton city hall was that if the whole thing can't be done in one shot, the next best thing was to rule out getting started.  It'd be like Toronto saying no in 1949, it only goes from Union to Eglinton, it doesn't go to Lawrence or the city limits, it does nothing for people travelling east/west, don't build the subway instead of getting started somewhere with something and then expanding from there over time.

The shortsightedness in Hamilton, on every single file I hear about, is astounding.  It's like the city takes pride in electing the most backwards, parochial, useless toothpick chewing bumpkin politicians that can be found.  Every time I read an article about the LRT, the idiots in the city hall come off looking like the biggest collection of fools found in the same seat of government.  Then you get Bob.  Former mayor Bob.  Vote for Bob because he used to call Tiger Cat games and run his mouth full of drivel on AM radio.  While we're talking about useless washed up media personalities in Hamilton politics, move up a level of government and you've got MPP Donna Skelley in Queen's Park.  She was one of the people CHCH cut loose when they did their tactical bankruptcy a few years ago; she wasn't on the list of people they saw fit to rehire.  At least Donna Skelley ran on a conservative ticket so she understands that when CHCH pulled a tactical bankruptcy so they could can staff with no notice and then stiff them by not paying out the severance they were owed, it was personal because it was just business, and Channel Zero screwed her out of what she was owed because it was the right business decision to make.  Conservative politicians live for screwing over the little people like this so Skelley's no doubt looking for any and every opportunity to throw them under the wheels.  Talk about birds of a feather, huh?

[CLRV4094]

0610 is back today doing the 2 after some months of being down 

[Wayside Observer]

LRT deal is as good as Hamilton could get  (alternate link)

That's a very well written article about the benefits of LRT and specifically benefits of the extreme generosity of both the federal and provincial government paying the full freight on it except for the operating costs.  As the article says, this deal is as good as it gets, which I'm sure means the banjo-twanging bumpkins in Hamilton City Hall are working overtime on finding a way to completely screw this up.

[Wayside Observer]

Oh for crying out loud.

MP Bob Bratina asks for Hamilton LRT funding review; calls long-planned transit line a ‘pet project’ of infrastructure minister  (alternate link)

Can this guy just go away please?

[lip]

If Hamilton blows this again, just let them live with their antiquated 1970's styled bus service which continues to decline year after year. Actually i'll go one step further, the province shouldnt consider funding a single transit project from them for the next 15 years if they screw this up again.

If you're willing to say no to free money, it really shows how idiotic Hamilton politicians are.

[smallspy]

8 hours ago, lip said:

If you're willing to say no to free money, it really shows how idiotic Hamilton politicians are.

Except it's not free.

 

Hamilton will be on the hook for operating costs. That's not insignificant.

 

Dan

[Wayside Observer]

8 hours ago, lip said:

If Hamilton blows this again, just let them live with their antiquated 1970's styled bus service which continues to decline year after year. Actually i'll go one step further, the province shouldnt consider funding a single transit project from them for the next 15 years if they screw this up again.

If you're willing to say no to free money, it really shows how idiotic Hamilton politicians are.

I agree.  The message it would send to both senior levels of government and the private sector is horrible.  Don't waste your time or money on this place because it'll either be squandered or outright refused.  They make their bed, they get to lie in it, and nobody wants to hear any complaining about it after.

[lip]

10 hours ago, smallspy said:

Except it's not free.

 

Hamilton will be on the hook for operating costs. That's not insignificant.

 

Dan

The B-Line as it currently stands subsidizes other routes in the city and the corridor generates significant $$$ for the HSR. Sure they'll be on the hook for operating costs, but the costs of the LRT are more than manageable. That's an argument that the idiotic suburban councillors often make, which is funny because their bus routes are the ones draining HSR finances. Not that it really matters because both the HSR and the city has been neglecting the entire system, and the moronic area rating system is still being used.

 

[brianc1981]

I know a lot of people have concerns regarding the LRT but as someone that lived in Hamilton for several years, before the pandemic, I saw many buses on the route 1 or 10 that would be overcrowded. Especially on a Sunday. It would always be a struggle seeing all the strollers get on as well as the walkers and even wheelchairs. Also during the week there were times I would stand at my stop (Sherman) and be waiting for a bus into downtown and 3 or 4 buses would all pull in at basically the same time, but my problem would be that the route 1 would pull up sometimes 2 of them and the 10 would just drive by, not realizing that people wanted that bus. Having the LRT will go a long way to improving transit off the mountain. I would actually hope that when the LRT is built that some of the buses on the mountain can be rerouted away from downtown and run to one of the stations closer to Eastgate. Also the good thing with building the LRT is that there is potential for a lot of redevelopment in the city. Especially around the Queenston traffic circle and Eastgate area. I have heard that there are plans to redevelop the Eastgate property, as well as at Nash where the Canadian tire property sits. There is a lot of land available around the traffic circle also. Would be perfect for redeveloping those areas as it would be at transit stations so people can take the trains. Also modifying bus service all around those areas would be a huge benefit. They could eliminate the route 10. Run the route 1 less often (say every 10 minutes) from Eastgate to McMaster. On the McMaster side all the 5C buses and the 52 buses could start at McMaster station and eliminate the routing into downtown. The 51 would not need to run either. The 5 routes that operate into Stoney Creek and to Rosedale could be modified and merged with the route 58. The 55 could also be modified through Stoney Creek, to serve more areas. I would also think that the route 2 would operate to Eastgate instead of Bell Manor loop. Service to Bell Manor loop could be part of the modified routes in Stoney Creek. One route could operate from Eastgate, along Centennial to Barton then along Barton to fifty road where the Costco is. Then the route that operates along Queenston and HWY 8 could also loop over to fifty road and then they could interline. 

I think the LRT has its pros over its cons and building this and improving service to areas that would service the LRT would allow the trains to run closer to capacity so that some of the operating costs are covered in the fares that are collected by the newer riders on the service. Although one thing I would do if I were the city, is I would implement fare gates at the stations and using only the Presto card to allow riders on the trains. It can be similar to what is done by translink in Vancouver with the skytrain. You can pay cash on a bus but you only get a paper transfer that does not allow you on the skytrain. But at the stations you can buy a compass ticket that allows you on and off the skytrain or seabus, or the buses. Or you can use your normal compass card on the trains and buses and seabus. I think that would make it easier for getting on the trains but I am not sure how that can be built into the stations as someone could just walk along the road to get onto the platform unless there is something on the platform to stop people from doing that.  

[Wayside Observer]

Green light from province means Cambridge LRT could run by 2032

"The province has approved the Region of Waterloo's transit project assessment for stage two, which means the region has the green light to seek provincial and federal funding for the project."

I know where $3.4 billion of combined provincial and federal funding for that project can be found if the place it's already earmarked for is foolish enough to say no thanks.  Choose wisely, Hamilton.

[newflyerinvero]

On a vote of 9-6 by Hamilton City Council, an agreement to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with Metrolinx will be going forward. A step forward for the BLine LFRT to be built and operating.

 

[TRENT_TRANSIT_SYSTEM]

On 6/18/2021 at 3:30 PM, brianc1981 said:

I know a lot of people have concerns regarding the LRT but as someone that lived in Hamilton for several years, before the pandemic, I saw many buses on the route 1 or 10 that would be overcrowded. Especially on a Sunday. It would always be a struggle seeing all the strollers get on as well as the walkers and even wheelchairs. Also during the week there were times I would stand at my stop (Sherman) and be waiting for a bus into downtown and 3 or 4 buses would all pull in at basically the same time, but my problem would be that the route 1 would pull up sometimes 2 of them and the 10 would just drive by, not realizing that people wanted that bus. Having the LRT will go a long way to improving transit off the mountain. I would actually hope that when the LRT is built that some of the buses on the mountain can be rerouted away from downtown and run to one of the stations closer to Eastgate. Also the good thing with building the LRT is that there is potential for a lot of redevelopment in the city. Especially around the Queenston traffic circle and Eastgate area. I have heard that there are plans to redevelop the Eastgate property, as well as at Nash where the Canadian tire property sits. There is a lot of land available around the traffic circle also. Would be perfect for redeveloping those areas as it would be at transit stations so people can take the trains. Also modifying bus service all around those areas would be a huge benefit. They could eliminate the route 10. Run the route 1 less often (say every 10 minutes) from Eastgate to McMaster. On the McMaster side all the 5C buses and the 52 buses could start at McMaster station and eliminate the routing into downtown. The 51 would not need to run either. The 5 routes that operate into Stoney Creek and to Rosedale could be modified and merged with the route 58. The 55 could also be modified through Stoney Creek, to serve more areas. I would also think that the route 2 would operate to Eastgate instead of Bell Manor loop. Service to Bell Manor loop could be part of the modified routes in Stoney Creek. One route could operate from Eastgate, along Centennial to Barton then along Barton to fifty road where the Costco is. Then the route that operates along Queenston and HWY 8 could also loop over to fifty road and then they could interline. 

I think the LRT has its pros over its cons and building this and improving service to areas that would service the LRT would allow the trains to run closer to capacity so that some of the operating costs are covered in the fares that are collected by the newer riders on the service. Although one thing I would do if I were the city, is I would implement fare gates at the stations and using only the Presto card to allow riders on the trains. It can be similar to what is done by translink in Vancouver with the skytrain. You can pay cash on a bus but you only get a paper transfer that does not allow you on the skytrain. But at the stations you can buy a compass ticket that allows you on and off the skytrain or seabus, or the buses. Or you can use your normal compass card on the trains and buses and seabus. I think that would make it easier for getting on the trains but I am not sure how that can be built into the stations as someone could just walk along the road to get onto the platform unless there is something on the platform to stop people from doing that.  

Given the shear number of people who don't pay for the bus (1/20 on a good day/route, 1/4 on some routes), fare revenue will be a non-starter on the LRT. Not like you have to walk by the driver and show proof of payment with an LRT. I hope the city authorizes fare checkers/special constables to ride the trains. And fare gates? Not possible. People already walk in the street to catch the bus, they'll walk the tracks to avoid the gates if they want.

But yeah, I have my bias, but NO buses should be taken off the road. Any buses saved in the lower city should definitely be sent up the Mountain to improve service for everyone across the city. Mothballing buses would be a waste of resources we already have, and fuel the anti-LRT argument that "LRT is only for downtown".

Okay, and HSR should run/drive the LRT. That's how it works in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, etc. One transit system for Hamilton. No need for third-parties and private operators (equity stakes) given that the capital is paid for already.

[CLRV4094]

0520 is doing the 18 this afternoon. Quite uncommon to happen. 

[MiExpress]

Canada and Ontario invest in improved public transit for residents of Hamilton

Backgrounder: Residents of Hamilton to benefit from improvements to public transit infrastructure

Joint federal, provincial and municipal funding through the Investing in Canada plan will support seven public transit projects in the City of Hamilton.

The Government of Canada is investing over $201.8 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure program, and the Government of Ontario is providing more than $168.2 million.

Project information

Project Name	Project Description	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Municipal Funding
Replacement of Birch Avenue Bridge and Associated Road Work /Construction of Salt Management Facility	Replacement of a rail bridge, the completion of associated road work, and the construction of a salt management facility. This includes the replacement of Birch Avenue bridge, the reconstruction of 800 metres of road, the installation of a storm water pump station and applicable pipe reconfiguration to manage road drainage, the installation of  approximately 97 metres of the water main, and the construction of a salt management facility.	$15,986,000	$13,320,335	$10,658,666
Dispatching and AVL Hardware and Software Replacement	Installation of new dispatch and automatic vehicle location systems on buses in the transit fleet to provide automated real-time detour and service interruption information to transit users.	$3,600,000	$2,999,700	$2,400,300
Expansion of Transit Fleet to Support Service Growth	Purchase of up to 85 forty-foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which will enable the City of Hamilton to expand its fleet and increase public transit service by an additional 300,000 service hours by 2026, in accordance with the city's 10-Year Transit Strategy.	$29,333,600	$24,442,222	$19,558,178
Construction of Active Transportation Connections	Construction of an approximately 185 m active transportation bridge, 1.4 km of new bike paths, 420m of upgraded bike paths, 3.4 km of new multi-use connections to transit, and up to 500 new bike parking spaces (including sheltered and long-term secure parking). The project also includes 30 new bike-share stations, repairs to existing damaged bike-share stations, and approximately 17.8km of new sidewalks.	$3,920,000	$3,266,340	$2,613,660
Implement Priority Bus Measures along A-Line Corridor	Implementation of priority bus movement on the 16 km-long A-Line rapid transit route. Work includes the construction of five new queue jump lanes, the implementation of transit signal priority measures at approximately 26 intersections, improvements to approximately 19 transit stops along the corridor, and approximately 17 km of new sidewalk construction along 12 different segments of rapid transit roadway to provide improved active transportation connection options to public transit users.	$3,400,000	$2,833,050	$2,266,950
Replacement of Transit Fleet	Replacement of conventional buses in the Hamilton transit fleet. This involves the procurement of approximately 92 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to replace buses that have reached the end of their lifecycle. This will include 40' buses (approximately 72) and 60' buses (approximately 20).	$45,630,800	$38,021,864	$30,424,336
New Maintenance & Storage Facility	Construction of a new 60,000 square metre public transit maintenance and storage facility. The facility will include a 30 bus maintenance area, two indoor compressed natural gas fueling lanes, 2 bus wash rack systems,  storage for 200 conventional size buses, approximately 4,000 sq. m of administration space, and a four-level parking structure to accommodate approximately 400 parking spaces for employees.	$100,000,000	$83,325,000	$80,970,000

 

Note that the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program allows projects to be completed up to March 21, 2027, so these funds will be spent over the next 6 years, not immediately.

 

Also, for the item "Replacement of Transit Fleet", the total funding amount of $114 million is correct as per Hamilton's original ICIP funding request. However the number of buses being purchased is incorrect as the request was for 146 replacement buses totaling $114 million between now and 2027.

[newflyerinvero]

I am curiuos about whether or not the aforementioned service increases for September had been approved by council, the new, 13 CNG Nova LFS order and whether or not any of the 2006 D40LFs, 0701-0709 and 2007 DE40LFs 0601 and 0602 come out of storage?

[Wayside Observer]

10 hours ago, MiExpress said:

Canada and Ontario invest in improved public transit for residents of Hamilton

Backgrounder: Residents of Hamilton to benefit from improvements to public transit infrastructure

Joint federal, provincial and municipal funding through the Investing in Canada plan will support seven public transit projects in the City of Hamilton.

The Government of Canada is investing over $201.8 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure program, and the Government of Ontario is providing more than $168.2 million.

Project information

Project Name	Project Description	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Municipal Funding
Replacement of Birch Avenue Bridge and Associated Road Work /Construction of Salt Management Facility	Replacement of a rail bridge, the completion of associated road work, and the construction of a salt management facility. This includes the replacement of Birch Avenue bridge, the reconstruction of 800 metres of road, the installation of a storm water pump station and applicable pipe reconfiguration to manage road drainage, the installation of  approximately 97 metres of the water main, and the construction of a salt management facility.	$15,986,000	$13,320,335	$10,658,666
Dispatching and AVL Hardware and Software Replacement	Installation of new dispatch and automatic vehicle location systems on buses in the transit fleet to provide automated real-time detour and service interruption information to transit users.	$3,600,000	$2,999,700	$2,400,300
Expansion of Transit Fleet to Support Service Growth	Purchase of up to 85 forty-foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which will enable the City of Hamilton to expand its fleet and increase public transit service by an additional 300,000 service hours by 2026, in accordance with the city's 10-Year Transit Strategy.	$29,333,600	$24,442,222	$19,558,178
Construction of Active Transportation Connections	Construction of an approximately 185 m active transportation bridge, 1.4 km of new bike paths, 420m of upgraded bike paths, 3.4 km of new multi-use connections to transit, and up to 500 new bike parking spaces (including sheltered and long-term secure parking). The project also includes 30 new bike-share stations, repairs to existing damaged bike-share stations, and approximately 17.8km of new sidewalks.	$3,920,000	$3,266,340	$2,613,660
Implement Priority Bus Measures along A-Line Corridor	Implementation of priority bus movement on the 16 km-long A-Line rapid transit route. Work includes the construction of five new queue jump lanes, the implementation of transit signal priority measures at approximately 26 intersections, improvements to approximately 19 transit stops along the corridor, and approximately 17 km of new sidewalk construction along 12 different segments of rapid transit roadway to provide improved active transportation connection options to public transit users.	$3,400,000	$2,833,050	$2,266,950
Replacement of Transit Fleet	Replacement of conventional buses in the Hamilton transit fleet. This involves the procurement of approximately 92 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to replace buses that have reached the end of their lifecycle. This will include 40' buses (approximately 72) and 60' buses (approximately 20).	$45,630,800	$38,021,864	$30,424,336
New Maintenance & Storage Facility	Construction of a new 60,000 square metre public transit maintenance and storage facility. The facility will include a 30 bus maintenance area, two indoor compressed natural gas fueling lanes, 2 bus wash rack systems,  storage for 200 conventional size buses, approximately 4,000 sq. m of administration space, and a four-level parking structure to accommodate approximately 400 parking spaces for employees.	$100,000,000	$83,325,000	$80,970,000

 

Note that the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program allows projects to be completed up to March 21, 2027, so these funds will be spent over the next 6 years, not immediately.

 

Also, for the item "Replacement of Transit Fleet", the total funding amount of $114 million is correct as per Hamilton's original ICIP funding request. However the number of buses being purchased is incorrect as the request was for 146 replacement buses totaling $114 million between now and 2027.

I'm kind of surprised the federal government is going in so heavy on CNG buses given their whole position about electrifying to de-carbon everything.  I thought they'd have pushed for battery buses instead.

[Wonka]

1 hour ago, Wayside Observer said:

I'm kind of surprised the federal government is going in so heavy on CNG buses given their whole position about electrifying to de-carbon everything.  I thought they'd have pushed for battery buses instead.

 

I'm going to guess that behind the scenes the battery electric demo bus testing didn't go terribly well. I don't remember hearing anything positive about it after the buses were tested a few years ago.

[Seashore_518203]

12 hours ago, Wonka said:

 

I'm going to guess that behind the scenes the battery electric demo bus testing didn't go terribly well. I don't remember hearing anything positive about it after the buses were tested a few years ago.

Wrong guess ... the testing went OK, there was nothing wrong with the buses.

When HSR changed to CNG, they committed to CNG until 2024. With operating costs per kilometre, approximately 1/2 of diesel, as a taxpayer, I agree with this policy. I have no doubt that electric vehicles will be looked at by 2024 and with a new garage, I am sure that it will be built to handle charging stations.

There is nothing wrong with not wanting to jump fully into electric buses, like many systems are doing. Let the technology evolve and let others do the breaking in process. 

[Wonka]

4 hours ago, Seashore_518203 said:

Wrong guess ... the testing went OK, there was nothing wrong with the buses.

When HSR changed to CNG, they committed to CNG until 2024. With operating costs per kilometre, approximately 1/2 of diesel, as a taxpayer, I agree with this policy. I have no doubt that electric vehicles will be looked at by 2024 and with a new garage, I am sure that it will be built to handle charging stations.

There is nothing wrong with not wanting to jump fully into electric buses, like many systems are doing. Let the technology evolve and let others do the breaking in process. 

I'm happy to be corrected on that one, thanks!

[Seashore_518203]

37 minutes ago, hamilton.area.transit said:

Just a quick question. Since its September now and ive read that HSR might be doing a service expansion and they needed was approval. Does anyone know If HSR got approval?

All of the information is contained in the Fall Bus News which is a little hard to find on the HSR web page. It is linked below:

https://www.hamilton.ca/hsr-bus-schedules-fares/riding-hsr/bus-news

All routes except 3 and 51 will return to pre-Covid schedules with routes 20 and 44 getting expansion vehicles and improved frequencies. Routes 11, 20, 27 and 44 also have routing changes. Route 18 switches to On-Demand effective Tuesday, September 7th.