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James Street

Tuesday December 6, 2016

December 5, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday December 6, 2016 New push to add LRT stop at Bay Street A late plea for a Bay Street LRT stop is one of several requested route changes project planners will chew on before spitting out a final design next spring. The city's light rail transit stakeholder committee will formally receive a letter from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Nov. 29 asking for a Bay Street stop on the east-west leg of the planned $1-billion LRT line. "It is not a stretch to assume that the Bay Street Station would immediately become the second-busiest station between the two end nodes of the B-line," reads the letter signed by representatives from large downtown players such as McMaster University, the art gallery, Carmen's Group and Vrancor. The city and project lead Metrolinx need to submit an updated environmental assessment Ñ including a finalized route Ñ to the province for approval next spring. But there is still time to consider "reasonable" change requests based on public feedback, said city LRT point person Paul Johnson. "We are looking at a number of requests now, things like pedestrian crossings, intersection changes and yes, stop locations," he said. "Just don't ask us to move the whole thing to Main Street. No, we are not going to look at that.Ó Johnson said public suggestions to date have already resulted in a relocated stop to the border of the International Village. Planners are also revisiting the possibility of a Gage Avenue stop based on a "surprisingly strong" reaction from the public. Similarly, businesses in the International Village have convinced planners to scope out an additional pedestrian crossing along that section of the King Street line. Other merchants have helped tweak partial intersection and street closures. Johnson wouldn't comment on the likelihood of Bay Street being adopted as a new stop, but noted there are some challenges to adding any new stop. It costs "a few million doll

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 6, 2016

New push to add LRT stop at Bay Street

A late plea for a Bay Street LRT stop is one of several requested route changes project planners will chew on before spitting out a final design next spring.

The city’s light rail transit stakeholder committee will formally receive a letter from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Nov. 29 asking for a Bay Street stop on the east-west leg of the planned $1-billion LRT line.

“It is not a stretch to assume that the Bay Street Station would immediately become the second-busiest station between the two end nodes of the B-line,” reads the letter signed by representatives from large downtown players such as McMaster University, the art gallery, Carmen’s Group and Vrancor.

The city and project lead Metrolinx need to submit an updated environmental assessment — including a finalized route — to the province for approval next spring. But there is still time to consider “reasonable” change requests based on public feedback, said city LRT point person Paul Johnson.

“We are looking at a number of requests now, things like pedestrian crossings, intersection changes and yes, stop locations,” he said. “Just don’t ask us to move the whole thing to Main Street. No, we are not going to look at that.”

Johnson said public suggestions to date have already resulted in a relocated stop to the border of the International Village. Planners are also revisiting the possibility of a Gage Avenue stop based on a “surprisingly strong” reaction from the public.

Similarly, businesses in the International Village have convinced planners to scope out an additional pedestrian crossing along that section of the King Street line. Other merchants have helped tweak partial intersection and street closures.

Johnson wouldn’t comment on the likelihood of Bay Street being adopted as a new stop, but noted there are some challenges to adding any new stop.

It costs “a few million dollars” to add a platform and amenities along a typical LRT line, he said. But he added potential intersection changes and land purchases can inflate the “real cost” dramatically.

The light rail transit line is also meant to be an express service, with an average distance between stops of about 800 metres. Project planners are aiming for peak period wait times of six minutes.

Stops at Queen Street, Bay and James would represent some of the shortest distances between platforms along the route, Johnson said, in some cases under 400 metres.(Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Bay Street, downtown, Hamilton, Jackson Square, James Street, LRT, mass transit, Rapid Transit, Sheraton, transportation

Thursday June 11, 2015

June 10, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday June 11, 2015 Pan Am trains headed to new Hamilton GO station Ð ready or not  The province plans to deliver soccer fans to Hamilton's new GO Train station for next month's Pan Am Games whether the building is finished or not. Construction continues on the station, platform, train tracks and elevators with just a month left before games celebrations kick off in the city July 9. Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca reiterated Tuesday the $44-million-plus station will be open for business, noting Metrolinx on Monday released a schedule of planned Pan Am service to the city starting July 11. "I have visited the crews working hard on site daily to deliver this new transit station, and I have been assured by Metrolinx that this new GO Station on James Street North will be operational in time for the Games," he said in an e-mailed statement. "Landscaping around the station, including the laying of sod, will continue to take place after the station enters service, but these finishing touches will not impact the operational status of this station." That's good news Ð if hard to believe, said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. That's the official word and I'm prepared to take them at their word," said the mayor, who noted in a morning speech how much construction remains to be done on the station. "When I drive by, I personally am hard pressed to see how that might happen, but I'm not a construction guy." The mayor said he thought it was possible a basic platform could be made safe and opened for GO train visitors, if not the station building itself. "I'm suspecting it's just a platform ... If they can get a train there, they can let people off, that's great." Eisenberger added he didn't consider a fully open GO station "integral" to games planning as it might have been with the originally envisioned West Harbour stadium. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/pan-am-games-story/5668541-pan-

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 11, 2015

Pan Am trains headed to new Hamilton GO station – ready or not

The province plans to deliver soccer fans to Hamilton’s new GO Train station for next month’s Pan Am Games whether the building is finished or not.

Construction continues on the station, platform, train tracks and elevators with just a month left before games celebrations kick off in the city July 9.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca reiterated Tuesday the $44-million-plus station will be open for business, noting Metrolinx on Monday released a schedule of planned Pan Am service to the city starting July 11.

“I have visited the crews working hard on site daily to deliver this new transit station, and I have been assured by Metrolinx that this new GO Station on James Street North will be operational in time for the Games,” he said in an e-mailed statement.

“Landscaping around the station, including the laying of sod, will continue to take place after the station enters service, but these finishing touches will not impact the operational status of this station.”

That’s good news – if hard to believe, said Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

That’s the official word and I’m prepared to take them at their word,” said the mayor, who noted in a morning speech how much construction remains to be done on the station. “When I drive by, I personally am hard pressed to see how that might happen, but I’m not a construction guy.”

The mayor said he thought it was possible a basic platform could be made safe and opened for GO train visitors, if not the station building itself.

“I’m suspecting it’s just a platform … If they can get a train there, they can let people off, that’s great.”

Eisenberger added he didn’t consider a fully open GO station “integral” to games planning as it might have been with the originally envisioned West Harbour stadium. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Posted in: Canada Tagged: construction, Games, GO, Hamilton, James Street, Pan Am, panic, Sports, station, Transit

Wednesday June 5, 2013

June 5, 2013 by Graeme MacKay

Wednesday June 5, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 5, 2013

No all-day GO by 2020?

Provincial transportation agency Metrolinx said Tuesday it cannot confirm whether Hamilton will have all-day GO service by 2020, now that getting it in time for the 2015 Pan Am Games won’t happen.

Though Metrolinx says it is still “committed” to full service —running GO trains between Hamilton and Toronto every 15 minutes during rush hour and every half-hour during the rest of the day — the agency can’t provide a specific time frame.

However, MPP Ted McMeekin says Hamilton can expect “a further expansion” beyond the extra four trips a day by 2017. Beyond that, he said GO officials would have to provide specific details about timing and service levels.

These are wildly different scenarios from the 2011 promise made by former Premier Dalton McGuinty that his government was “committed to having two-way, full-day service seven days a week, and we will have it in place for Hamilton in time for the Pan Am Games.”

Plans for beefing up Hamilton’s GO service to that level made their way into provincial planning documents, including a report from 2008 called GO 2020.

Provincial officials now say that instead of all-day GO service, Hamilton will receive four extra trips per day by 2015 — two in the morning and two in the evening — via a new station on James Street North.

The Hunter Street station will keep its current level of service (four trips in the morning and four trips during afternoon rush-hour). (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Aldershot, Bob Bratina, Hamilton, James Street, Metrolinx

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