Rapid Transit

[Gurnett71]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/bratina-lrt-1.6065042

Liberal MP Bob Bratina says he has formally asked the parliamentary budget office to review the multi-billion dollar joint commitment from the federal and provincial governments to build light-rail transit (LRT) in Hamilton.

Each government has offered $1.7 billion toward capital costs, amounting to a total $3.4-billion deal.

The Hamilton East–Stoney Creek MP said in a media release Monday that he believes his own "government's insistence that the funding be tied to LRT infringes on city council's responsibility to effectively prioritize solutions for the city."

"I'm asking the PBO to determine if the Hamilton LRT project fully complies with the Investing in Canada infrastructure program criteria, and whether the announced project cost and funding is adequate to achieve the objectives of the project," he said.

Bratina has previously said he wouldn't run in the next federal election because of his government's support for the project.

Catherine McKenna, federal minister of infrastructure and communities, and Caroline Mulroney, Ontario minister of transportation, announced the joint commitment in May.

Both ministers have made it clear that the money is only for LRT. A bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which has been raised by some councillors as more preferable, isn't an option.

The release said Bratina was "extremely concerned" that major funding decisions could happen on the "whim of a minister who has consulted only like-minded individuals." He called the LRT a "pet project."

Councillors have mixed support
The ask comes nearly two weeks after Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation spent around six hours briefing Hamilton city council's general issues committee on the deal.

City councillors said they still needed more time to decide on whether to take another step toward LRT.

Where Hamilton city councillors stand on the $3.4B offer for LRT
City staff were asked to look into net operating costs as well as supportive development that is ongoing, planned, or approved along the 14-kilometre line from McMaster University to Eastgate.

That information comes back to the committee on Wednesday. If the project does move forward, it would be the second time the city has hammered out a memorandum of understanding with Metrolinx for LRT.

'Out of the blue' deal
City councillors are divided in their support, with those in favour saying that LRT would bring economic uplift that would benefit outlying areas and reduce long-term congestion, among other benefits.

But those opposed fear operating costs — which the city must pay — would put undue hardship on taxpayers.

James Nowlan, assistant deputy minister of agency oversight and programs with the Ministry of Transportation, provided the city councillors with an estimate: $600 million gross over 30 years, or $20 million a year.

"LRT is not a transit solution for Hamilton," Bratina said. "This deal came out of the blue a year after the project was cancelled by the province due to its prohibitive cost."

The project first originated in 2007, when the city used a Metrolinx grant for an environmental assessment. While several routes have been proposed over the years, this one — which runs alternately down King and Main streets — is a return to the original.

The previous Ontario Liberal government committed $1 billion to the project in 2015. Mulroney's PC government cancelled it in December 2019, saying costs had ballooned and Hamilton wouldn't be able to burden them.

In February, the province said it would pitch in $1 billion as long as the federal government helped out too.

[TheHonestMaple]

Amazing, this project is collapsing in on itself before it even had a chance to start. What a shame.

[StEC]

You got to be fucking kidding me!?!?

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Fuck off Bratina.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by ShavedParmesanCheese

Fuck off Bratina.

Cheers to that.

[thistleclub]

Just the worst. Pack it in with dignity.

[davidcappi]

13 years ago now. Crazy to jump over a decade back in this thread only to realize how little has progressed since then.

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Mayor: we must move fast on LRT

October 01, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator

Mayor Fred Eisenberger and city staff have less than a month to convince council the city needs light rail.

Then the focus will turn to persuading transportation agency Metrolinx to fund it.

A Metrolinx draft plan last month shortlisted an east-west rapid transit line from Centennial Parkway to McMaster University for funding -- but it didn't specify whether it would be a rail or bus line.

Eisenberger told The Spectator editorial board yesterday city staff are actively pursuing the light rail option.

"I'm confident the majority of councillors will be completely on board," he said.

On Oct. 20, the public works committee votes on whether city staff should continue to work with Metrolinx to make LRT a reality. Council votes Oct. 29.

Metrolinx is expected to decide what projects will be funded in its initial five-year budget in November.

The city wants the east-west line -- using Main and King in some combination -- to be named in the that funding envelope.

Eisenberger said that decision is crucial.

"We've got very close connections with Metrolinx staff. I see (Metrolinx chair Rob MacIsaac) often. I want to keep it that way ..."

Eisenberger is also on the Metrolinx board.

After touring LRT systems in Charlotte, N.C., Portland, Ore., and Calgary, initially skeptical Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson is now convinced it's the way to go, if Metrolinx assumes all capital costs.

LRT is cheaper to operate than a bus fleet, it could change the entire city's image, and may bring Hamilton the kind of construction boom Charlotte saw, Ferguson said yesterday.

By city estimates, a two-line light rail system will cost about $1.1 billion but promises to boost land values and revive the downtown.

[RaginRonic]

It just sounds like to me that Bob + Council are saying...

'The PC Government is not free to construct ANY MOU that is perceived by us to be going behind our backs to commit economic robbery of the City of Hamilton. Hamilton gets every last dollar of profit from this project for all of eternity, and the PC Party of Ontario, and Ford specifically, walk away with no financial compensation of any kind for themselves.

Oh, and the only ones who ever build LRT are construction companies based in Hamilton, with only Hamiltonians putting it together. The rest of Ontario is not free to come here to build it.'

Does that make sense?

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

Amazing, this project is collapsing in on itself before it even had a chance to start. What a shame.

One has-been former radio talking head turned wilted politician raising a fuss won't do it. Even if the PBO looks at this it may not mean much, and doesn't mean they'll find anything wrong.

It's going to take more than that. I don't doubt city council's potential to muck this up, but I think there's enough support for it to squeak through.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Now I'm getting worried

Hamilton's LRT - Death by a Thousand Tablings
Joey Coleman - The Public Record
https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2021/06/hamiltons-lrt-death-by-a-thousand-tablings/

Hamilton City Council is feeling the heat of having to do their job.

A different kind of heat is being felt on Parliament Hill – election fever.

Minority Parliaments have an average life span of two years, and this one is quickly approaching its two year life expectancy.

Once the election writ is dropped, the money for Hamilton’s LRT is gone, never to return. Full stop.

The agreements for the other Greater Toronto Area priority transit projects are being signed, and those shovels will be going into the ground. Toronto is happy to take yes for n answer.

Where does that leave Hamilton on the eve of yet another City Council debate on LRT?

Council’s phone lines are burning up.

On one side, nearly every Hamilton business leader is telling City Councillors to get on with the job at hand – after all it was Hamilton City Council that asked for LRT funding.

Hamilton expats working around both Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill are telling Council to take yes for an answer and stop being a national embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Hamilton East – Stoney Creek MP Bob Bratina is making phone calls telling them to stop the train and join his outrage over the federal government offering Hamilton 100% capital funding with no municipal contribution.

Hamilton Mountain MPP Donna Skelly is keeping quiet.

City Councillors are scrambling for a way out of doing their jobs as the politics of division instead of vision are catching up with them – they have to do their job and make a decision.

The LRT has served to be a great wedge issue for the past decade, why talk about sewers when you talk about something else. Now, higher levels of government have surprised everyone by saying yes to City Council’s demands for special treatment.

Division is meeting multiplication. LRT is an economic multiplier. It drives investment, drives density, and creates a tax-efficient corridor which serves as a tax positive area filling municipal coffers.

Waterloo is already planning to expand its LRT beyond the existing 19 kilometre line – which local taxpayers paid for a third of the capital cost. Their LRT is generating economic uplift.

Two weeks ago, Council tabled making a decision. Going into Wednesday’s vote, tabling seems the likely outcome again.

A vote to table is as same as voting no.

Hamilton that will lose the $3.4-billion if the federal election arrives before Council makes a decision.

It was forty years ago that Hamilton City Council turned down a fully-funded rapid transit system, that opportunity went to Vancouver and we all know it as the Skytrain today. We are unlikely to get a third chance.

Milton has a velodrome and York University has a track facility, all because Council would not get its act together during the Pan Am Games debates. In the end, we were left with a poorly built problem plagued stadium.

If Council repeats its stadium dithering, we will have Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Council, as they say, you have one job. Get on with the vote.

[craftbeerdad]

Just when you think Hamilton's making progress we're going to get ten effing rapid bus lanes that no one cares about that support no business development, infrastructure upgrades, affordable and residential clusters and then get stuck for road infrastructure costs above and below grade on top of whatever else these morons come up with to screw us.

It will cost 5x more than this and we will be the laughing stock of Canada again. Seriously I'd have to think about living in Hamilton longer term if the city can't get this right. But hey thank goodness we have people that work for the city that are looking out for everyone's best interest right?

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by craftbeerdad

we're going to get ten effing rapid bus lanes that no one cares about that support no business development, infrastructure upgrades, affordable and residential clusters.

I doubt we'd even get the BRT network done right. There will be angst over dedicating general purpose lanes for buses.

We saw that with the single "test" lane on King West a few years ago: cries over the traffic congestion it caused, the disruption of street parking, how the buses scared the daylights out of pedestrians on the sidewalk, etc. The lane was only in place a short time, much shorter than planned, because council decided to axe it prematurely before the planners could evaluate its effectiveness and report back on its impacts.

Those issues will grow twenty-fold when it comes to planning dedicated BRT lanes along all the roads of the BLAST concept -- James and Upper James, Rymal/Garner and Centennial, Mohawk and Upper Ottawa and Kenilworth, York. Even Main/King and Queenston will generate much debate on those issues, though they really haven't been raised that much lately with respect to LRT being routed along them.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Originally Posted by craftbeerdad

Just when you think Hamilton's making progress we're going to get ten effing rapid bus lanes that no one cares about that support no business development, infrastructure upgrades, affordable and residential clusters and then get stuck for road infrastructure costs above and below grade on top of whatever else these morons come up with to screw us.

It will cost 5x more than this and we will be the laughing stock of Canada again. Seriously I'd have to think about living in Hamilton longer term if the city can't get this right. But hey thank goodness we have people that work for the city that are looking out for everyone's best interest right?

Preach it.

If the council ruins this... again... I, too, will totally be reconsidering living here again once I'm in and out of university. I'm sure we're not the only ones.

I so, so hope they won't, though. But, there's only so much garbage you can put up with for FOURTEEN YEARS before you start to lose some hope

[SteelTown]

For those with frail nerves, especially during this pandemic, my suggestion is to ignore all LRT news. It's all smoke and mirrors. The best thing you could do is call councillors to support the LRT.

My councillor has been on sick leave, so I'm hoping that he won't be present when the vote does happen. Or else we'll get like a two-hour speech with endless dumb questions that's already have been repeated a zillion times.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

For those with frail nerves, especially during this pandemic, my suggestion is to ignore all LRT news. It's all smoke and mirrors. The best thing you could do is call councillors to support the LRT.

My councillor has been on sick leave, so I'm hoping that he won't be present when the vote does happen. Or else we'll get like a two-hour speech with endless dumb questions that's already have been repeated a zillion times.

For once, Coun. Whitehead is a benefit to the city!

[Markus83]

Originally Posted by ShavedParmesanCheese

For once, Coun. Whitehead is a benefit to the city!

LoL !!

[LikeHamilton]

What will it cost taxpayers to run Hamilton LRT? The city has now crunched the numbers

By Matthew Van Dongen Spectator Reporter Tue., June 15, 2021

It would cost Hamilton between $6.4 million and $16.5 million a year to run a light rail transit line — a range that depends on ridership and how many HSR buses stay on the road, according to a new city estimate.

Either way, LRT supporters argue it would still be cheaper to operate than the theoretical bus rapid transit (BRT) service favoured by some councillors.

“While cheaper to construct, the BRT operating costs are estimated to be double that for LRT!” tweeted Chris Higgins, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto who has previously contributed to local research on light rail transit benefits in Hamilton.

The city crunched the latest operating numbers ahead of a looming council vote on a federal-provincial offer of $3.4 billion to build a 14-kilometre LRT. Basically the same project was cancelled over budget woes just 16 months ago.

LRT cannot go ahead unless the city agrees to pay the estimated $20 million gross annual cost to run the line. The city’s new “net” estimate factors in fare revenues and potential offsetting savings.

A divided council asked for the updated estimate earlier this month when members delayed a vote on whether to negotiate an LRT memorandum of agreement.

Some councillors oppose LRT and argue bus rapid transit is a better bet — even though the federal and provincial governments have said the $3.4 billion is only available to fund the “shovel-ready” light rail transit project. The government consider LRT shovel-ready because the project killed in 2019 had already earned environmental approvals and amassed 60 properties needed for construction along the route.

Even if construction funding were available for a different project, Higgins argued it appears “contradictory” to favour bus rapid transit if councillors are concerned about minimizing operating costs for local taxpayers.

Metrolinx has not provided an updated apples-to-apples operating cost comparison for the two rapid transit options.

But Higgins pointed to a 2015 business case update from the agency that estimated those costs would be nearly twice as high for BRT compared to light rail because of the extra vehicles and drivers required.

“The fundamental issue is that LRT vehicles have higher capacities, so you need to operate more BRT buses to achieve the same carrying capacity,” he said via email.

LRT is also assumed to “drive more ridership” and spur more development along the route, which helps offset costs over time, he said.

City staff have prepared several new reports for Wednesday’s meeting to consider a motion on LRT, including:
[LIST][*]an estimated range of net operating costs;[*]a list of planned and completed developments along the LRT corridor;[*]information about current development incentives offered through the core.

For operating costs, the city report focused on two estimates based on differing ridership projections and bus redeployment scenarios.

For example, an LRT that sees an eight per cent growth in ridership, combined with savings from taking 29 HSR buses off the road, would result in an estimated net operating cost of around $6.4 million.

If you assume zero ridership growth with LRT — an unlikely scenario, according to Metrolinx and other transit experts — the cost would be closer to $10 million.

If only 13 express buses on the main-King corridor are removed from the road, annual costs could range from $12 million to $16.5 million.

Transit advocates and the HSR drivers’ union have long argued it makes more sense to redeploy, rather than mothball buses replaced by LRT in order to improve transit across the city.

More to come ...

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2021/06/15/hamilton-lrt-cost.html

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

(1)6,000,000? That's it? Hell, they give 174,000,000 to the police service every year, that's no mean figure at all!

[ScreamingViking]

Here's a nice (and probably bang-on!) opinion piece regarding the Stoney Creek Three's preference for BRT.

Some councillors will label the writer an "activist" and discount this point of view. But for every point he notes, I found myself nodding agreement.


Stoney Creek councillors’ vision for BRT is really status quo

By Sean Hurley
The Hamilton Spectator
Tue., June 15, 2021

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contribu...vision-for-brt-is-really-status-quo.html

Three Stoney Creek councillors are “united against taking LRT cash” reported The Spectator last week. Every Hamiltonian ought to be embarrassed by the lack of leadership expressed by these members of council in the year before an election.

Councillors Brad Clark, Maria Pearson and Chad Collins all claim they support BRT over LRT because “it’s more flexible and technology is improving” and “there are other ways of improving our higher-order transit that are much more cost effective.” As well, from Ward 5’s Collins: “It’s really about trying to get people from point A to B in a quick way and to get people out of their vehicles.” Bravo.

The City of Hamilton has had a plan for BRT since 2007. Pearson, Clark and Collins were all members of council when the 2007 Transportation Master Plan mandating the BLAST public transit BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) network, was adopted. So, where is it?

The B-Line 10 Express Bus is basically the same service that was introduced in the late 1980s. There have been no improvements to the basic infrastructure. There is no prepay, no stations, no traffic light priority and no dedicated lanes. In fact, it was Collins who put forward the motion to end Hamilton’s short-lived dedicated bus lane through the core.

Councillors are obliged to implement the decisions they’ve made. That’s their job. But there is absolutely nothing to show for the BRT plan but lip service. Look at the record: transit in Hamilton is stunted.

To understand why, the key is the word “flexible” used by all three members of council. By “flexible,” they don’t really mean BRT — a system of dedicated lanes and other infrastructure, but something else. Something with no dedicated lanes nor infrastructure. The Stoney Creek councillors are selling to Hamiltonians the transit status quo and calling it “BRT.”

This is underlined clearly, again, by Collins who reportedly said of LRT, “the city’s annual operating tab will likely also be double the current $20 million estimate once winter maintenance and lost parking revenues along the route are included.” What he is objecting to with that outlandish claim are dedicated lanes.

Collins is also reported to have said, “LRT fails on its original goal of being rapid transit because a trip from Eastgate to McMaster will still take about a half an hour, the same as the existing B-line bus.” Obviously the councillor hasn’t had to rely on a bus “to get from point A to B in a quick way.”

The LRT will put five grocery stores within distance of everyone between Eastgate and McMaster. LRT has prepay, all-door and level boarding so passengers can wheel their buggies on and off as easily as wheelchairs at any open door. Dedicated lanes and light priority means LRT can sail along even when traffic is halted. LRT connects people with health care, jobs and entertainment. Most importantly for anyone who needs a ride, there is the security of knowing there will be a train along at any moment.

LRT can, in fact, move people quickly from A to B and encourage people to live without a car or, at least, fewer cars. LRT can make public transit almost as convenient as driving and for people struggling to make ends meet, being able to eliminate a car or cars could be life changing.

Collins also says, “LRT is now being sold as an economic-development project even though it will likely only spur apartment buildings along the route.” Don’t we want new apartment buildings during a housing crisis? Also, he’s wrong. The LRT is projected to spur commercial development in a city with a declining commercial tax base, in addition to increasing residential assessment all along the corridor.

In my opinion, these councillors have demonstrated they can’t build transit. They talk about the cost of operations as though it is an unsolvable mystery and as though the property taxpayers along the B-Line corridor don’t already foot the bill for public transit in both levy and fares.

Elected leaders should be leveraging this unprecedented direct investment that will bring demand for contractors, trades, support services and materials from all across the city to build infrastructure for Hamilton. Elected leaders also ought to be marshaling political resources to push for and negotiate community benefits such as deeply affordable housing, inclusive zoning, recreational facilities and parks.

Councillors should not be declaring their intention to, figuratively and literally, stand in the way of progress. Did I mention there is an election next year?

[ScreamingViking]

And those numbers quoted above are still preliminary, because they don't take into account a lot of other things that could change with LRT (and a proper BRT or at least express transit service as a start along the other BLAST routes)

On balance, I would guess there would be a net positive to the city, taking account of all the benefits of increased transit service vs. the operating costs.

EDIT: I predict there will be confusion about the numbers. "Why is there such a large range?" (ignoring that assumptions were made to arrive at the various cost scenarios). Also, "Unless we're taking buses off the road, there will be no savings!" but if they're serious about expanding transit across the city, redeployment (and purchase of more buses!) will be required... this issue will separate those who are serious about city-wide transit from those simply using it as a counter argument, but the latter will then say they can't comment on plans that haven't been drawn up.

Note that CBC's version of the story quotes the local transit union prez, which is surely to increase the temperature of the pot:

But Eric Tuck, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107 that represents HSR workers, says directing staff to cut buses and operators is "completely irresponsible and cause for serious concern as we cannot sacrifice HSR to pay for LRT."

"We need to ensure that the addition of LRT to our transit portfolio isn't a drain on the rest of the system and negatively impacting our financial ability to provide vital transit service to all Hamiltonians today, and into the future," he said in a media release.

The union says the BLAST network — routes across the city designated for rapid transit — must be built out to increase ridership. If not, the union said, "we are basically saying the rest of Hamilton isn't important and is not deserving of equal dedicated transit service."