Rapid Transit

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Rad.

[interr0bangr]

With International Village being so narrow, there's talk that it will be cut off from cars completely. This means Main will need to be converted to 2-way, yes? I wonder what other streets will have to be converted to make this work. I'm worried they might rip the bike lanes from Cannon to add more westbound capacity again.

Exciting and a little bit scary times ahead, this will be so transformative it's hard to even imagine it's real!

[markbarbera]

I am quite optimistic for what lies ahead as this allows for a reimagined LRT route. I would suspect Metrolinx would prefer to use Bay Street to run the spur to the station as there is a wider clearance that would better accomodate a dedicated LRT route. James is too narrow to allow for dedicated track. In fact, now that Metrolinx is more actively involved, I would not be surprised to see the route placed along Main instead of King. Main has a wider clearance and runs more direct, making it less expensive to lay track. Plus there is much greater potential for developing higher density along that route. Main has a less defined streetwall than King with fewer buildings of historical interest to complicate redevelopment.

My prediction is the route will ultimately run along Main from McMaster GO bus terminal east towards Bay, then north on Bay to loop in front of West Harbour GO station, heading back south to Main, then east to Queenston Circle, where the former City Motor site could be used as bus terminal to connect HSR routes that serve the east end of the city. With the LRT on Main, a future, high-order pedestrian connection to the Hamilton GO Centre Station could easily be simply the pedestrianization of Hughson Street between Main and Hunter.

[thistleclub]

Ontario Investing Up to $1 Billion for Light Rail Transit in Hamilton
(Office of the Premier, May 26 2015)

Ontario will provide up to $1 billion to build a new light rail transit (LRT) line in Hamilton as part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario's history.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the funding today while in Hamilton. The province will cover 100 per cent of the capital costs of building the LRT, which will help grow the economy, reduce travel times and connect people to jobs and to other transit systems.

New, modern light rail vehicles on tracks separated from regular traffic will offer speedy service from McMaster University through downtown Hamilton to Queenston Circle. The LRT will connect directly to the new West Harbour GO Station, which is now under construction, and protect for a future, high-order pedestrian connection to the Hamilton Centre GO Station. The LRT will ultimately extend to Eastgate Square. Procurement for the LRT will start in 2017, with construction starting in 2019.

Read it in full here.

Will be interested to see what routing and stops are identified.

[lucasmascotto]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

I don't know what to say - it's just really, really embarrassing.

Get a real job, Chad and leave the work of city building to the big boys and girls - you're well out of your depth.

I don't normally like to trash people even politicians but frankly I don't know what good he does. Aside from supporting the opening and development of Bayfront Park, his track record in terms of civic development has been pretty timid. He aligns his ideologies with that of fringe exoburb thinking even though his area is very urban in design and demographic. He was elected at the age of 20, and has been in power for over 20 years with absolutely no community planning or organization experience beforehand. For God's sake, he was a video store clerk before getting elected! He's turned his position into a life-long career and in such refuses to push any sort of motion that might stir up the smallest amount of controversy because he doesn't want to shake the consciousness of his tiny voting cohort. Ugh...

[interr0bangr]

Originally Posted by markbarbera

I am quite optimistic for what lies ahead as this allows for a reimagined LRT route. I would suspect Metrolinx would prefer to use Bay Street to run the spur to the station as there is a wider clearance that would better accomodate a dedicated LRT route. James is too narrow to allow for dedicated track. In fact, now that Metrolinx is more actively involved, I would not be surprised to see the route placed along Main instead of King. Main has a wider clearance and runs more direct, making it less expensive to lay track. Plus there is much greater potential for developing higher density along that route. Main has a less defined streetwall than King with fewer buildings of historical interest to complicate redevelopment.

My prediction is the route will ultimately run along Main from McMaster GO bus terminal east towards Bay, then north on Bay to loop in front of West Harbour GO station, heading back south to Main, then east to Queenston Circle, where the former City Motor site could be used as bus terminal to connect HSR routes that serve the east end of the city. With the LRT on Main, a future, high-order pedestrian connection to the Hamilton GO Centre Station could easily be simply the pedestrianization of Hughson Street between Main and Hunter.

The problem with Main is that there's nothing on Main. Just a terrible street from start to finish, destroyed by how much of a highway it's been for so long. The LRT would help spark the healing process and Main is so close to King, so it's still a good option, but keeping the LRT on King is still my preference I think.

[lucasmascotto]

I wanna' make a wikipedia article, or at least update one, on LRT in Hamilton. What's the name of the system, is it just "B-Line (Hamilton) LRT" or is there something else? "B-Line Hamilton LRT" is what's linked to the Metrolinx, HSR, and Light Rail Transit in Canada wikipedia pages.

[SteelTown]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-Line_%28Hamilton%29

[lucasmascotto]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-Line_%28Hamilton%29

Perfect, I'll work with that! Thanks!

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by interr0bangr

The problem with Main is that there's nothing on Main. Just a terrible street from start to finish, destroyed by how much of a highway it's been for so long.

There's nothing on Main, which means plenty of redevelopment opportunity. The fact that it is a five-lane one-way highway means construction will be easier. And it is as close to anything as King is.

(It's also not quite true that "nothing" is on Main.)

[lucasmascotto]

Sorry to pester everyone here, I'm making a wikipedia transit map, and i'm trying to get a rough guess of how many stations there will be. This is what I have so far based upon the rapid transit study:

1. Queenston Traffic Circle
2. Kenilworth Avenue
3. The Delta
4. Scott Park (Gage Ave.)
5. Sherman Ave.
6. Wentworth Street
7. Wellington Street/Victoria Ave. (First Place)
8. MacNab Terminal
9. Queen Street
10. Dundurn Street
11. Longwood Road
12. McMaster University

[thistleclub]

FWIW, here are the BRT stops identified in Metrolinx's King-Main Benefits Case (Feb 2010):

1. Eastgate Square
2. Nash Road
3. Parkdale Road
4. Queenston Traffic Circle
5. Kenilworth Avenue
6. Ottawa Street
7. Gage Avenue
8. Sherman Avenue
9. Wentworth Street
10. First Place
11. Gore Park
12. Bay Street
13. Queen Street
14. Dundurn Road [sic]
15. Westdale
16. Longwood Road/Main Street
17. McMaster University

[NortheastWind]

This CBC article discusses the potential STOPS: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/take-a-ride-on-hamilton-s-proposed-lrt-route-1.3086616

[interr0bangr]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

There's nothing on Main, which means plenty of redevelopment opportunity. The fact that it is a five-lane one-way highway means construction will be easier. And it is as close to anything as King is.

(It's also not quite true that "nothing" is on Main.)

Yeah I understand the advantages of redeveloping Main, and I don't fully disagree, I'd just prefer less car traffic on King to help support and intensity what's already there instead of bringing the transit through another street that needs decades of help and will never be able to match the character and retail frontage King has. I'm happy with an LRT whereever it ends up though.

[thistleclub]

Another take...



More detail: Hamilton B-Line: Value Uplift and Capture Study, Final Report (June 2010)

The MacNab Transit Terminal was under construction when this report was being assembled so it might be the proxy for "Bay" or "Gore Park" (or both), as either is <300m from that terminal.

My hunch is that "MacNab" subs for "Bay" and "Gore Park" is Hughson for better synergy with the Hamilton GO Centre, but the $1B cap ($1B 2015? $1B 2017? $1B 2019?) may force additional economies.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by interr0bangr

The problem with Main is that there's nothing on Main. Just a terrible street from start to finish, destroyed by how much of a highway it's been for so long. The LRT would help spark the healing process and Main is so close to King, so it's still a good option, but keeping the LRT on King is still my preference I think.

Agreed.

Convert the one way portion of Main to 2 way. Most of it is 2 way now anyway.

[drpgq]

I honestly still hate the spur. How often are trains going to be leaving from West Harbour to justify a spur? Wouldn't it be far cheaper to have a shuttle busfrom King or Main that meets up with the station whenever a train is actually going to leave? Although I suppose the spur could eventually be used to build an A-line.

I'm just glad though that this is getting funded. Comparing the amount of money the province has spent on transit in Toronto since thee Liberals first promised LRT in the 2007 election versus Hamilton, I'm sure the ratio is way, way over the 5:1 population ratio.

[SteelTown]

I'm kind of eager and excited about the “high order pedestrian connection" to the GO Station Centre, I'd imagine it'll happen along Hunter St.

[king10]

Originally Posted by drpgq

I honestly still hate the spur. How often are trains going to be leaving from West Harbour to justify a spur? Wouldn't it be far cheaper to have a shuttle busfrom King or Main that meets up with the station whenever a train is actually going to leave? Although I suppose the spur could eventually be used to build an A-line.

I'm just glad though that this is getting funded. Comparing the amount of money the province has spent on transit in Toronto since thee Liberals first promised LRT in the 2007 election versus Hamilton, I'm sure the ratio is way, way over the 5:1 population ratio.

Well hopefully with the addition of the centennial station more trains will be running through james st.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by drpgq

I honestly still hate the spur. How often are trains going to be leaving from West Harbour to justify a spur?

Keep in mind we probably won't see the LRT up and running till about 2025, and GO service should be increased quite substantially by then. Imagine all the development that will occur around there by then

Although I suppose the spur could eventually be used to build an A-line.

I'm thinking that is the start of the A-line, which is another great aspect to this announcement. Gives the mountain, and the rest of the city, something more to be excited about