LRT

Thursday May 4, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 4, 2017

More rain coming, flooding possible: Environment Canada

Environment Canada says there’s more rain on the way this week and with the ground already wet there could be flooding.

The weather agency issued, on Wednesday morning, a special weather statement for Hamilton and much of Southern Ontario.

It says that with wet weather set to return later in the week and with the ground already saturated, there may be flooding.

Environment Canada says “rain will spread back into Southern Ontario from the southwest Thursday reaching Eastern Ontario by Friday morning.”

The agency expects total rainfall amounts may approach 50 mm in some areas by the weekend.

This comes after an April 20 rainstorm flooded parts of Hamilton — especially Dundas. The city declared it a disaster to unlock thousands in potential compassionate grants for homeowners who suffered water damage. (Source: CBC News) 

This comes a week after Hamilton Council almost rejected sending an environmental Assessment on the proposed LRT to Queen’s Park. Councillor Terry Whitehead decided not to vote against the assessment after the Province endorsed extending the line to Eastgate mall. Waterdown councillor Judi Partridge was opposed along with 4 other councillors

 

Friday April 28, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 28, 2017

LRT to Eastgate Square reborn after council nod

Hamilton’s contentious $1-billion LRT project has survived a high-stakes council vote to push ahead after last-minute provincial agreement to extend the light rail line to Eastgate Square.

April 19, 2017

Wednesday night’s 10-5 vote means provincial transit agency Metrolinx should be able to seek private sector bids to design, build and operate the project — now a 14-kilometre LRT line — as early as this summer.

It also appeared to convince at least some council opponents to pledge reluctant support to the project going forward, despite one last voting opportunity next year to derail LRT when council is asked to sign a final operating agreement.

“I hope that after today we come together as a council and say, we’re moving forward,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who acknowledged “frustration” among LRT supporters at apparent efforts to kill the project. “This has not been a short journey.”

January 14, 2017

Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins, a vehement LRT critic, shocked observers by voting to submit the project study for provincial approval.

He made clear his preference would be to hold a referendum on LRT, but added by next year Metrolinx would have spent $80 million-plus on planning and property purchases. “There’s no turning back at that point,” he said.

Collins said he would continue to criticize the project as required, but also urged councillors to “make the best of a bad situation” and work together to ease challenges for affected residents. He warned the project will be a “gong show” if council and the community remain bitterly divided over LRT.

Ward 9 Coun. Doug Conley voted against submitting the study, but also served notice he would support council’s majority decision thereafter. “I really, really hope that it works out great … I have my doubts,” he said.

December 6, 2016

A late letter from Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca promising a three-kilometre line extension — but no new money — appeared to tip the scales for councillors like vocal LRT critic Terry Whitehead.

Whitehead was criticized by project fans for urging a vote delay earlier this month to investigate the feasibility of an Eastgate extension. He called inclusion of the commercial and transit “destination location” a critical way to strengthen the project for the whole city.

Del Duca said the province will “work with the city to explore ways to reduce costs to accommodate the extension” to Eastgate Square — the city’s original requested eastern end point — rather than stopping at the Queenston traffic circle.

He said project planners expect to reallocate savings from a recent decision to axe a spur line to the James Street North GO station, estimated at between $100 million and $125 million.

But Metrolinx has warned an Eastgate extension could cost anywhere from $150 million to $225 million. Del Duca’s letter doesn’t clearly spell out what would happen if the extension put the project over its $1-billion budget, but notes the change is contingent on “consideration of available funding to address any additional cost requirements, if necessary.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Wednesday April 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 19, 2017

LRT: What’s in it for me?

The $1-billion LRT project will use provincial cash to replace 11 kilometres of infrastructure in Hamilton. If we did it ourselves, the same work would cost local taxpayers $200 million.

The LRT waiting game gallery

This is true, with some important caveats. Metrolinx has agreed to pay to replace all “like-for-like” city infrastructure along the 11-kilometre LRT line. That’s sidewalks, street asphalt, sewers, water pipes, light standards — even the repair or replacement of the Longwood bridge, which will host a spur to a new storage facility.

But the city must share the cost of any upgrades — for example, bigger water or sewer pipes. Such upsizing is necessary given the expectations for higher-density development on the route and could cost as much as $35 million.

The city hopes to get around those shared costs by pitching consolidation, rather than upsizing, of some underground pipes.

Regardless, project fans point out we’re still getting plenty of mostly free new infrastructure — or we’re sharing the cost with all Ontario residents, anyway. We’re certainly getting a sweeter deal than local taxpayers in Kitchener-Waterloo, who had to put up a third of capital cash for their 19-kilometre, almost-finished LRT line.

The infrastructure argument is big in Hamilton because we fall behind on needed repairs and replacement of roads, bridges and buildings each year by $195 million. Meanwhile, the city has added about $13 to the average homeowner’s tax bill each year since 2011 specifically to help close that spending gap.

Skeptics among councillors argue multi-year LRT construction will dig up plenty of infrastructure that doesn’t actually need to be replaced at all. The city admits many underground pipes along the route, for example, have been recently relined or replaced.

They also point out correctly very little of the LRT-affected infrastructure is included on the 10-year capital priority list. (This is likely good news for the city, however, because Metrolinx has confirmed it won’t pay full replacement costs for any project the city has already budgeted for.) (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Tuesday April 15, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 15, 2017

Crucial vote looms for Hamilton’s LRT project

The survival of Hamilton’s $1 billion LRT project is balancing on a knife-edge.

Hamilton’s LRT gallery

If on Wednesday a deeply-divided council votes against submitting the updated environmental assessment to the province, Mayor Fred Eisenberger and others see it as the kiss of the death.

At this point there’s no telling how the vote will go, other than it’ll be a squeaker.

Only six of the 16 members of council, including the mayor, are firmly committed to keeping the train rolling.

That means, with Robert Pasuta on sick leave and unlikely to attend, Eisenberger must find at least two other supporters.

The most pliable in the mushy middle are probably veteran Tom Jackson from the east Mountain and rookie Arlene VanderBeek from Dundas.

Both are playing their cards close, virtually guaranteeing a cliffhanger.

“I haven’t decided,” says Jackson, who’s grown increasingly cynical about the project since the James Street spur was arbitrarily “de-scoped” by the province.

“I’ve pretty much decided how I’m going to vote, but I’m going to wait for the discussion,” says VanderBeek, noting she needs to find the balance between what’s good for Dundas and the rest of the city.

Stoney Creek’s Maria Pearson, another potential swing pro-vote, is equally guarded. Pearson says she’s still taking in information but admits she has “major concerns.”

To add extra suspense, the results of the councillor-funded poll gauging community support for the project are expected to be released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the mayor has gone into overdrive — some say belatedly, some say desperately — to rally support. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Saturday January 14, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 14, 2017

Hamilton’s $1 billion LRT project may be getting a game-changing shakeup.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says Metrolinx is considering killing the 2-kilometre James Street North light rail spur line for an alternative that has “greater value and cost efficiency.”

“I don’t know what and when the province is going to announce anything on this but I do know it’s been a topic of conversation.”

Multiple sources have told The Spectator the idea is to replace the James North spur with an express bus service from the waterfront to the airport on James and Upper James — essentially building the A-line route that’s part of the planned city-wide BLAST bus network.

According to sources, an announcement originally planned for Monday is now expected in a couple of weeks.

The proposal does not affect the 11-km east-west LRT route from McMaster to the Queenston traffic circle.

Eisenberger notes the James spur was an “add on” to the provincial funding announcement in 2015 and as such had never undergone a cost-benefit analysis.

“I assume that Metrolinx has done it now and I’m pretty confident it shows that it’s not the most viable business case … for an LRT on James.”

If the spur line is replaced with express buses from the Mountain to the waterfront, Eisenberger thinks it’ll be a better bang for the buck in terms of growing public transit across the city and will likely enjoy good political and public support.

A Metrolinx spokesperson said via email there “will be more news in the coming weeks.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)