Frequently Asked LRT Questions

The Hamilton B-line LRT will service 17 stops along Main and King Streets from McMaster University in the west to Eastgate Square in the east. There will also be a connection to the existing Hamilton GO Centre Station via a new high-order pedestrian connection on Hughson Street. 

Major construction of the LRT is scheduled for 2019 to 2024. The construction consortium will be in place and some early work could begin in mid-2018. 

Economic

Hamilton’s LRT will stimulate economic growth and contribute to the ongoing revitalization of Hamilton. The LRT will be part of a multi-modal network of transportation options throughout the city. This will attract new investors, grow our economy, broaden the tax base and bring more jobs to Hamilton.

Environment

The LRT trains are clean and “green” with no emissions from the vehicle. Environmental benefits include reducing air pollution from vehicle emissions and greenhouse gases which can contribute to cleaner air and reduce noise pollution. By increasing transit ridership, LRT can contribute to reducing the amount of vehicle kilometres travelled and associated emissions.

Transportation and Mobility

The investment in Hamilton’s LRT will provide a catalyst for the development of high quality, safe, sustainable and affordable transportation options for citizens. LRT will be integrated with the local Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) network, pedestrian connections along with cycling routes and the SoBi bike share system.

Integrated Transportation in Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

Hamilton LRT is an integral part of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan and will provide residents and businesses in Hamilton with fast, reliable, convenient and integrated transit, including connections to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area through GO Transit. The project will enhance connections to the Hamilton GO Centre and West Harbour GO Station.

This LRT project is just the first piece of a broader rapid transit strategy for Hamilton. The City’s overall Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan reflect a long-term vision encompassing five rapid transit corridors, connecting key destinations across the city (see BLAST network map below)

City Council also recently approved a 10-year Local Transit Strategy which outlines short term actions for City Council to continue developing Hamilton’s transit network. 

Each end of the LRT route will have an end-of-line terminal to allow for seamless integration with other transit systems.  

There will be a cross over near the end of the line where the trains switch from one track to the other and then the operator will walk to the other side of the train where there is another cab for driving.

The B-line will be 14 km. 

The B-line will have 17 station stops. 

On the B-line, the majority of stops are approximately 600-800 metres apart, with a few exceptions. This stop distance is similar to the B-line express HSR service which helps keep transit moving at a rapid pace.   

Ensuring emergency access to the LRT corridor is extremely important.  The curbed barrier segregating the LRT tracks from other traffic will be mountable for emergency response and maintenance access.  Emergency vehicles can also access the tracks at major intersections where there is no barrier at all.  

We expect there to be one-car (30-metre) LRT trains on opening day of LRT service, but we are designing the B-line stops to accommodate two-car (60-metre) trains in the future as ridership grows.

The 10-Year Local Transit Strategy, approved by Council on March 11, 2015 provides short term actions for City Council to continue developing Hamilton’s transit network.

The LRT will replace current HSR B-Line express service.  Local bus service in and around the LRT corridor will be maintained to feed the LRT line, however parallel routes may be used in some sections.  HSR is still working on these details so updates will be provided when they become available. 

Yes. Surplus buses will be available for redeployment to help feed the LRT line.  Staff is still working on these plans and will report back to Council.

A new LRT-only bridge will be constructed over Highway 403 to transition the LRT from Main Street West across Highway 403 and onto King Street West. This avoids complications with the Highway 403 ramps.  The cost to build the bridge is part of the overall $1 billion project budget.

There is no technical report or study directly comparing an LRT project on King Street (between the Delta and the 403) versus Main Street (between the Delta and 403). In 2009, a Corporate Working Group (comprised of City staff from various disciplines across the corporation) analysed the options and concluded that King Street was the best option which Council subsequently approved. There was also a significant amount of public and Council consultation on the proposed route during the original Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP).

The request for funding from the Province was based on the route detailed through the TPAP and Council directed staff to update the previously approved TPAP based on the changes in the Provincial announcement. A detailed summary about the past public consultations is provided below for reference.

Six formal rounds of public consultation / engagement have been undertaken; five as part of the Pre-Planning phase and the sixth as part of the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) phase. Each round of public consultation featured several public open houses. A Rapid Transit Citizen Advisory Committee was also established in Summer 2010 to ensure regular engagement and input into the development of the project. This committee of 26 members was made up of members of the public, property owners in the corridor, and a number of stakeholder organizations.

There are several planning and policy documents that have guided the decision to implement rapid transit on King Street over the last several years.  Most notably, “Putting People First”, the Downtown Secondary Plan was approved in 2008.  This document pre-dated LRT discussions.  Main and Cannon Streets were identified as through streets with King Street and York Blvd identified as key streets that run through the Downtown proper. King Street and York Boulevard were identified as more pedestrian focused streets which cater to higher order transit (rapid transit).  Other significant decision points were as follows:

• In 2007-2009, the City carried out a Rapid Transit Feasibility Study looking at both LRT and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on both King and Main Streets;
• In 2009, a Corporate Working Group identified King Street as the preferred alternative and all reports to Council going forward identified LRT on King Street;
• King Street has been Council approved since 2009 and has been the focus of rapid transit planning since that time;
• The approved Environmental Project Report (EPR) that was approved in 2011 as part of the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) identified King Street for the project. The EPR included extensive public consultation (see detailed summary above); and,
• Council reaffirmed support for LRT on King Street on April 24, 2013. (Item 7.2, Page 9)

Yes. A timeline with Council reports and documents is available.

The Province has stated that the funding was committed specifically to the LRT project. If the City were to decide to withdraw support for the project that funding would be returned to the Moving Ontario Forward Fund. Requests for Provincial support for any other potential projects would require discussions between the City and the Province.

No. City Council specifically asked the Province to fund 100 per cent of the Capital costs for LRT and that is what the funding was provided for.  

Yes. Metrolinx has a planning capacity of 130 passengers per vehicle during the peak hour in the peak direction at any given point along the route. With a six-minute headway (10 vehicles per hour) this means that the capacity for on-board passengers will be about 1,300 in the peak hour.  In the 2031 forecasts, for the weekday AM westbound peak direction, this level will be exceeded from Scott Park through to Mary Street, with the maximum being about 1,500. These projected ridership numbers take into account the current ridership of the B-Line bus, half the ridership of the #1 King, as well as a portion of ridership from auto drivers that have switch to taking transit. This means, by 2031 it will be necessary to either relax this standard (standard planning capacity is about 1,600) or add service.

In the 2041 forecasts, the maximum passengers on board exceeds the Metrolinx planning capacity from Queenston Circle to James Street, with the maximum at 2,350 passengers. Under these conditions, the B-Line will be well over the Metrolinx Planning Capacity and Standard Planning Capacity for a single Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) and coupled LRVs will need to be operated.

Ride share services and autonomous vehicles are likely to reduce the cost of personal travel by automobile, making these services more competitive with transit travel, and likely divert trips from transit, particularly for short, local trips. However, in major corridors, these services (or technologies) differ little from today in terms of single-occupant-vehicle capacity so will not be able to manage the mass transit demands of BRT, LRT or other high order transit services.

The preliminary model (being updated for the final Environmental Project Report), shows a reduction in auto travel of about 1,400 trips in the AM peak hour throughout the regional network. Most of this impact is expected in the corridor. However, this is a 2031 snapshot, and if it creates spare capacity in the network, that capacity will quickly be absorbed by growth or re-allocation so no specific impacts may be apparent. Further, changes in auto occupancy, travel patterns and other impacts may affect this value.

Yes. The project remains on schedule.

The project remains on schedule for contract award in 2018 and for major construction to begin in 2019.

It is anticipated that the Hamilton LRT project will be delivered as a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain (DBFOM) contract using the Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model. The AFP model transfers the appropriate risks to the consortium that will be selected to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the project. An important feature of the AFP delivery model is that public ownership and control of project is retained.  These types of projects are commonly referred to as Public Private Partnerships. 

On February 2, 2017 Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for interested parties to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Hamilton Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.

The RFQ, which closed March 29, 2017  is the first step in the procurement process to select a team to deliver the project. An evaluation of RFQ submissions will result in teams being prequalified; these teams will then be invited to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP) in Summer 2017. The RFP submissions received from the teams will be evaluated and the successful team will be selected to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project in 2018.

Decisions about operations and maintenance costs are yet to be determined, and will be subject to an agreement between the City and Province (Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation).

We expect some elements of the Operations and Maintenance Agreement to come forward within the next year, but the final details would be concluded through the negotiations with the preferred proponent as part of the bid process that will include the operating and maintenance costs.

At this point the expectation is that the procurement of the Hamilton LRT project will see the successful private-sector bidder operating and maintaining the LRT.

The required operating subsidy will be determined based on factors including the proposed operations plan (e.g., service frequency, hours of operations etc.), the fare structure for the LRT and the bids received through the procurement process.  The details will be addressed as part of negotiations on the Operations and Maintenance Agreement.

Decisions about revenue will be part of the negotiations for the Operating and Maintenance Agreement.  

Under the proposed delivery model, the successful proponent (referred to as Project Co) would be responsible for operating and maintaining the LRT system, including personnel decisions.  This is similar to the GO Train network which is operated and maintained by Bombardier Transportation on behalf of Metrolinx.     

Throughout the discussion about LRT it has been discussed that our transit system needs to “remain whole” meaning that any impacts on revenue or costs related to LRT should not negatively affect the rest of the transit system.

No. The Project Agreement will be signed by Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario as project sponsors.

Yes. Major decision points will occur prior to submitting the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) update to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for approval. Council will also be asked to approve the execution of the Master Agreement and the Operating and Maintenance Agreement with Metrolinx once they are negotiated. Throughout project implementation Council may be required to approve other elements of the project as required, particularly in relation to City infrastructure. 

We have spent or committed approximately $60-70M to date. This includes the staff hired by the City and Metrolinx to support the work of the project office and the consultants who are supporting the completion of a number of technical and Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) related activities. 

In terms of binding legal agreements with Metrolinx, the City has entered into a binding Real Estate Services Protocol and the confidentiality provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) are also binding.  The City has also entered into numerous legal agreements such as professional services agreements, employment agreements, and leasing agreements.

As indicated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Metrolinx and the City of Hamilton, Hamilton is not responsible for any Capital costs associated with the project unless specifically stated. Metrolinx intends to build the project as set out in the scope but it is always subject to eligible costs and budgets.

The project will be delivered using an Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) approach, which requires a fixed-price contract signed by Metrolinx and the successful proponent for the delivery of the project. The project budget will include appropriate contingency to accommodate design development and address unforeseen circumstances that may arise during construction. The AFP procurement process is designed to work with the bid teams to ensure that the project comes in at or below budget.

Metrolinx is responsible for all Capital costs associated with the project unless the City decides to upsize or enhance City-owned infrastructure affected by the project. The City would be responsible for incremental costs related to the upgrades if it chose to do so. 

Metrolinx is responsible for relocating City-owned and third-party infrastructure affected by the project subject only to contributions by the City if the affected infrastructure is already slated for replacement in a City capital plan. In addition, Metrolinx will offer the City an opportunity to upgrade City-owned infrastructure affected by the project as part of the project. The City would be responsible for incremental costs related to the upgrades if it chose to do so.

We are currently investigating the underground infrastructure and will report back to Council with any proposed upsizing plans and associated costs.  

Metrolinx is confident that the approved project scope can be accommodated within the $1B budget.  For added certainty, Metrolinx will complete a detailed pre-tender estimate prior to issuing the RFP to confirm that project costs remain in line with the approved project budget.

If bids came in over budget during the procurement process, scope reductions would be one option to address budget pressures, but it would depend on the size of the pressure.

As indicated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Metrolinx would consult with Hamilton on any material changes to the project and provide an opportunity for the City’s input prior to making a final decision. Also, as stated in the MOA, Hamilton is not responsible for any capital costs associated with the project unless specifically stated.

Metrolinx is confident that the approved project scope can be accommodated within the $1B budget.  For added certainty, Metrolinx will complete a detailed pre-tender estimate prior to issuing the RFP to confirm that project costs remain in line with the approved project budget.

If bids came in over budget during the procurement process, scope reductions would be one option to address budget pressures, but it would depend on the size of the pressure.

As indicated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Metrolinx would consult with Hamilton on any material changes to the project and provide an opportunity for the City’s input prior to making a final decision. Also, as stated in the MOA, Hamilton is not responsible for any capital costs associated with the project unless specifically stated.

The project team is currently working in partnership with the local hydro utility (Alectra Utilities (formerly Horizon Utilities)) to assess power requirements for the project.  Final costs will depend on the results of this work and will be confirmed through the procurement process to select the proponent that will build and operate the project.  As part of the procurement process, bidders will be required to propose options to reduce energy use, both to reduce operating costs and to enhance sustainability.

We don’t know yet.  We will be working with Metrolinx and the Province on this matter as per Councillor Collins’ motion from the General Issues Committee on October 25, 2016.  We anticipate that this matter will be addressed as part of negotiations on the Operations and Maintenance Agreement.

To date, no formal Operations and Maintenance Agreements for Provincially-owned LRTs have been executed. The recent draft cost-sharing terms endorsed by the City of Toronto for LRT projects in that community represent the first step towards a formal O&M Agreement. The draft terms established that the City of Toronto will be responsible for operating and regular maintenance costs.  The draft terms for an LRT O&M Cost-sharing Agreement in Toronto do not impact their Gas Tax revenues.

The City and Metrolinx share a common goal of ensuring that transfers between the HSR and the LRT are seamless and easy with integrated fares.  The fare structure will be negotiated as part of the Operations and Maintenance Agreement.

Throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Metrolinx is working towards one simple, consistent approach to transit fares across the region to benefit customers and improve the performance of the transportation network.  This means that transit travellers across the region would have a consistent approach for calculating and paying for their fares, regardless of where in the GTHA they are travelling and which transit service(s) they are using – making crossing municipal boundaries and switching between transit systems simple and hassle-free. 

Metrolinx is currently assessing additional fare structure elements and implementation considerations. The next update is expected at the December 2016 Metrolinx Board of Directors meeting.

Presto remains an important part of the infrastructure to support fare integration.

It is the City’s position that the fares for LRT should be consistent with HSR fares (which are set by Council) and that the LRT will remain a service that riders can transfer on and off at no extra cost.

Metrolinx shares the City’s objective for a seamless, easy transfer between HSR and the LRT, including integrated fares.  Fare levels and structure will be addressed as part of the Operations and Maintenance Agreement.

The 2010 Metrolinx Benefits Case Analysis estimated that the LRT would generate approximately 5,800 direct and indirect ‘person years’ of employment during the construction phase. Person years is the industry standard unit of measurement for estimating construction employment impacts.  

Under the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2015, the Province committed to providing local economic and community benefits for large infrastructure projects. Metrolinx will work closely with the City and local stakeholders to develop a community benefits framework for the LRT project.  However, we cannot legally require all labour on this project to be reserved for local residents only.

For infrastructure projects to be successful, the companies delivering them must have a sound understanding of Ontario’s business and regulatory landscape. Since 2012, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) has required that all companies bidding on Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) procurements demonstrate familiarity with local building code requirements, health and safety regulations, and other regulatory measures applicable to a given project. 

Local companies typically provide a significant contribution towards large infrastructure projects. Past experience demonstrates that Canadian and international bidders will seek local partners because of the following advantages:

• proven experience of local contractors
• knowledge of local conditions
• experience with local labour pool
• not having to provide travel and accommodation expenses for out-of-town workers

Unless otherwise directed by Council, the City will not be compensating businesses for construction losses.  We are committed to working with affected businesses to provide marketing support and other assistance throughout construction to mitigate the impacts.  

We are working on a parking and loading strategy that will address some of these concerns.  Additionally, our Community Connectors are gathering feedback from affected businesses during visits that will help shape our plans.  

Yes, we expect construction to be completed in phases along the route.  Construction staging will be determined based on proposed construction schedules submitted by proponents during the procurement process.  

The majority of the properties that received a notification so far are commercial. Metrolinx compensates property owners in accordance with the Provincial Expropriations Act. Where circumstances warrant, this can include documented costs associated with relocation.

Yes. Metrolinx will be responsible for acquiring properties required for the project.  Metrolinx will engage with affected property owners and will attempt to reach a negotiated settlement on mutually agreeable terms. In certain cases, Metrolinx may start the expropriation process while negotiations are underway.  This parallel approach is used to ensure that all necessary lands are available to start construction on schedule. 

In cases where the expropriation process has begun, Metrolinx would continue to negotiate with property owners to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.  If an agreement is reached expropriation proceedings can be discontinued.

The timelines for property acquisition will ensure that all necessary properties are acquired by the time the successful bidder begins their construction schedule. While the negotiations on compensation through an expropriation process can take time to resolve, the actual transfer of ownership occurs in a predictable timeframe that would not delay the project.

Our current plans do not include park and ride stations but we have received feedback from the community so we may explore this further.  Additionally, HSR is working on a park and ride strategy at key transit hubs across the city.  

It is anticipated that the light rail vehicles will be included as part of the project procurement. There are several benefits of including the vehicles in the project procurement:

• Transfers the risks associated with the delivery and quality of the vehicles to the proponent
• Provides proponents with greater schedule certainty
• Allows Project Co. to optimize vehicle design including length, consists, etc.
• Allows Project Co. to optimize vehicle procurement and stagger delivery of vehicles to meet ridership requirements
• Simplifies systems integration between the vehicles and track/systems operations

The successful private sector consortium will be responsible for the disposal of all material from various excavations and they shall adhere to all Provincial and City standards with respect to the proper disposal of material.

Metrolinx is committed to expanding GO Train service to the City of Hamilton as part of its ten-year plan to transform the GO rail network.

Current plans include service to Toronto in the morning rush from Hamilton GO Centre every 15 minutes and from West Harbour GO Station every 30 minutes. This service would operate in reverse in the evening rush.

During weekday midday and evenings, and on weekends, there would be hourly service in both directions between Union Station and Hamilton GO Centre Downtown, but no rail service to / from West Harbour.

Service levels west of Burlington GO Station, including service levels at Aldershot, are dependent on infrastructure and service agreements with CN and CP, who own the rail corridors. Final plans may vary as the ten-year program evolves.  Learn more about the Lakeshore West GO Line.  

Yes. This is an ongoing issue for HSR and the source of many complaints.  HSR is making progress to reduce ‘pass byes’ on the B-Line by switching to all articulated buses and by adding more service on other routes in the King-Main-Queenston corridor. 

For 2016:

• Gross annual operating cost is projected to be $94.8M
• Gross annual revenue is projected to be $48.9M
• Net annual operating cost is projected to be $45.9M

HSR does not currently track revenue by route.  The annual ridership estimate in April 2016 on the B-Line corridor is 9.2M.

According to information from the 2011 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (a comprehensive travel survey conducted in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area once every five years), 39.1% (9,032) of commuting trips to Ward 2 originate from Wards 1-3, and 21% (4,848) originate from Wards 7-8.

According to information from the 2011 Transportation Tomorrow Survey, 19.8% or 4,579 people, work and live Downtown.   

The development charge (DC) reduction in the downtown, currently at 80%, is being reduced by 5% per year over the remaining three years of the existing DC By-law. In other words, in July 2017 the DC reduction will be 75%, July 2018 – 70%, and July 2019 – 65%.  At least six months prior to the expiry of the By-law (late 2018), Finance staff will be bringing forward a recommendation to the DC Stakeholder Committee on future DCs City-wide. 

Staff may be re-opening the City-wide DC By-law in mid/late -2017 specifically for Transit Services at which time Council may also look at the Downtown DC policies.

Staff are also currently working on an intensification study report (specifically looking at the costs to provide water, wastewater and storm water services to urban and greenfield sites) which will result in options for Council to consider regarding DC pricing strategies (Special Area Charges).

Economic Development will provide input to the discussion, but the ultimate decision rests with Council.

The Transit Oriented Corridor (TOC) Zoning went to Planning Committee on October 4 and Council on October 12, 2016.  The appeal period for the three TOC zones ended on November 10, 2016.   

For that portion of the corridor within the Downtown Hamilton Secondary Plan Review process, the Interim Control By-law has been extended for an additional year to allow the Secondary Planning process to address the designations and implementing zoning for these lands. 

In accordance with the height policies of the Urban Hamilton Official Plan (UHOP), the majority of the corridor is permitted to be a maximum of 22 metres (approximately six storeys).  Additional height (to a maximum of eight storeys) is permitted without amendment to the UHOP provided the required studies are submitted. 

In addition, staff will be reviewing the zoning as part of the update of the Downtown Secondary Plan and bring forward any changes to the zoning within the Downtown in Q2, 2017 as part of the update to the Secondary Plan.

The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is the first step in the procurement process to select a team to deliver the project. Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx will evaluate submissions to prequalify project teams with the relevant experience and financial capacity to deliver a project of this size and complexity. Qualified teams will receive an invite to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP), anticipated in summer 2017. At this stage of the process, teams are not submitting their cost estimates; they are just responding to questions around their capacity to deliver this project.

A Benefits Case Analysis was completed by Metrolinx in 2010. 

Six formal rounds of public consultation/engagement have been undertaken; five as part of the Pre-Planning phase and the sixth as part of the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) phase. Each round of public consultation featured several public open houses. A Rapid Transit Citizen Advisory Committee was also established in Summer 2010 to ensure regular engagement and input into the development of the project. This committee of 26 members was made up of members of the public, property owners in the corridor and a number of stakeholder organizations.

Details of public consultations:

• 21 opportunities total + formation of Rapid Transit Citizen Advisory Committee)
• Two Open Houses were held in May of 2008 following the completion of the Rapid Transit Feasibility Study (FTFS) Phase 1
• Two Community Update Meetings were held in December 2008
• Two Property Owners Workshops were held in February 2009
• Three Community Update Meetings were held in June 2009 on the options being investigated and the next steps for the project
• A Rapid Transit Citizen Advisory Committee (RTCAC) was established in Summer 2010
• An Open House was held on September 30, 2010 to give the public an update on project progress and to introduce the Rapid Transit Citizens Advisory Committee
• Seven Public Open Houses were held between January and February 2011
• Four Open Houses were held in August 2011 after the Notice of Commencement was issued

Yes. The exact timing for this is still to be confirmed.

One of the biggest concerns of the businesses during large construction projects is anticipating impacts that may arise from construction. Considerations such as business deliveries, local parking, and garbage pick-up are important and not overlooked. We are committed to working together to ensure the continued viability of local businesses during construction.

The LRT outreach team will be visiting every affected property (nearly 1,400) along the corridor twice per year for the duration of the project to share information, answer questions and address concerns.

The approximate wait times between LRT vehicles on the B-Line is estimated around every 6 minutes during the peak hours.

We expect it to take approximately 32 minutes based on the current number of stops in our design.

The operation of a light rail vehicle (LRV) in snow will not be an issue, and should there be any fear of icing up during particularly inclement weather, they will be run through the night to keep the catenary lines clear of ice.  The consistent running of the LRV will also keep the transit way clear of any snow build up.

LRT systems successfully run in many other cities that experience harsh winter conditions, including Calgary, Edmonton and Minneapolis.

There is a strong connection between cycling and transit so bicycles will be accommodated on the light rail vehicles. Metrolinx will also be working with the City to identify opportunities for bike racks and bike share facilities at various stops along the corridor.

Although the specific vehicle is yet to be confirmed, comparable LRT vehicles (one car) generally have a standard capacity of 130 passengers, seated and standing.  Currently, the standard capacity for an articulated HSR bus is about 68 and a regular bus is about 44 (combined seated and standing).