Rapid Transit

[HillStreetBlues]

Thanks. I'm not sure why it hit me that the terminus there is practically in Winona. I dislike that BLAST map: some of those corridors should really be happening, but 'S' and 'L'- and Winona- make it seem like the whole thing is sheer fancy.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

This morning’s Spec article on the topic made it seem as though this extension was entirely Eisenberger’s idea, and had not been seen let alone approved by Metrolinx. It would be great, but I wonder how much extra it would cost. If this thing is a branch taken by some east-west trains, I can see it decreasing the utility of the line by effectively decreasing the frequency for cross-town trips.

What would be great? We have a billion-dollar commitment from the province, the municipality should kick in the extra cost to actually build the A Line, since the plan might now include a couple kilometres of it.

I didn't get the same impression re: Eisenberger, if this is the article you're referring to. But the map has the Metrolinx logo, and is actually posted on their website. So clearly they've seen it... whether they've looked at the longer extension in enough detail to have an opinion yet is the question.

I agree there are key questions about how the extension would operate. There's a good argument for running separate services to maintain the most efficient travel along the E-W spine, requiring a transfer between the lines.

The city should look at making a complementary investment to either extend the B-Line to Eastgate, or add more to the A-Line. E.g., why not extend the A right down to the GO Centre and have a direct connection to GO service there as well as at West Harbour? Once the core infrastructure is in place, extensions (edit: relatively short extensions) aren't that cost prohibitive.

I also wonder if more efficient placement of the storage/maintenance facility would be possible, but there seem to be few city-owned plots of land close to the B or A lines that would be suitable.

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

The city should look at making a complementary investment to either extend the B-Line to Eastgate, or add more to the A-Line. E.g., why not extend the A right down to the GO Centre and have a direct connection to GO service there as well as at West Harbour? Once the core infrastructure is in place, extensions (edit: relatively short extensions) aren't that cost prohibitive.

I like the idea of treating the LRT's trunk line to West Harbour more like a very short first phase of the A-Line. That way the second phase of LRT in Hamilton can be an extension of both lines to their intended full course. In this first phase, they should definitely make the trunk follow the proposed A-Line from the waterfront to at least James and Hunter to connect the GO stations. In fact, why not have it continue south, terminating at Mohawk College?

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^That's something I've always wondered about. But then you're left with relatively two short lines: A - the waterfront to Mohawk; and B - Mac to Ottawa (or perhaps Queenston).

Would those be 'efficient' i.e. successful transportation routes? How many years between phases? Is there a guarantee of a second phase?

It's a tough one...

[SteelTown]

Farr said there will be a LRT vehicle demo during the next Supercrawl.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

^That's something I've always wondered about. But then you're left with relatively two short lines: A - the waterfront to Mohawk; and B - Mac to Ottawa (or perhaps Queenston).

Would those be 'efficient' i.e. successful transportation routes? How many years between phases? Is there a guarantee of a second phase?

It's a tough one...

I'm guessing most of the traffic for the B-line would be between Mac and Ottawa, so it would probably be fairly successful, though that would require admitting it's a streetcar not rapid transit.

[lucasmascotto]

City rushes to stop fast food, gas stations along LRT line
(CBC Hamilton: Tuesday, August 11, 2015)
By: Samantha Craggs

Gas stations. Fast food drive-thrus. Single-family homes on parcels of land that could easily be home to more lucrative developments.

These are all things city planners don't want to see along Hamilton's future light-rail transit (LRT) line. And now they're rushing to get a temporary bylaw in place to try to prevent them.

Developers are already approaching the city wanting to build along the route, said Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development.

The city wants the right projects to be built along the King Street corridor — namely, not ones that focus on car traffic. The ideal is a multi-storey condo or apartment building with businesses on the ground floor.

But current zoning laws are lax, and if a fast food restaurant wanted to build a drive thru on a commercial space, there isn't much the city could do, Thorne said.

"It's pretty permissive zoning that allows a wide range of things, and some of those things aren't appropriate for the corridor now that there's going to be LRT," he said.

By fall, Thorne hopes to present an interim control bylaw that will specify which undesirable elements the city should avoid along the 10.8-kilometre route.

LRT is bringing interest from developers more interested now that the $1.2-billion project is a go.

"A good example is we're starting to see interest for student residences east of Westdale now that they have that connection through the LRT," he said. "So it's definitely generating development interest generally.

"Our fear is there could be development projects that will come and plop down on one of our key development sites. That's what we're trying to stave off."

Who develops where is key to LRT being a success in Hamilton. Economic spinoff is a major argument in favour of the system. But for LRT to pay off, the city has to allow the best projects on the best parcels of land.

The transit line itself will run along King Street from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle. A 2.3-kilometre A-line will run from King Street to the waterfront, and a three-kilometre track will connect the main line to the Wentworth maintenance facility.

The city will also build a pedestrian walkway from the Hunter GO station to the MacNab transit terminal.

LRT dominated discussion at city council's general issues committee on Wednesday, when staff recommended some next steps.

The city will set up a downtown office with Metrolinx for staff just working on LRT. It's also establishing a subcommittee that will include the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and six city councillors.

Thorne's presentation on Monday included the idea of incentives for builders along the line. Coun. Lloyd Ferguson of Ancaster had a problem with that. If LRT is such an economic generator, Ferguson said, then why does the city need incentives?

Thorne said incentive grants would help bring the right development to the right areas. Even so, councillors agreed with Ferguson and scrapped that from the report's recommendations for now.

[coalminecanary]

thank god for this guy, saving hamilton from itself

[LikeHamilton]

Metrolinx Regional Tour

Starting this summer, Metrolinx is embarking on a new regional tour. Join us at any of the following events to learn how we’re building transit to get your community moving.

Have a question about one of our projects? Staff will be at each event to speak with community members. The tour will also feature a display booth or LRT mockup vehicle, with lots of useful information. Visit us to learn how we can #movetheregion together.

Here’s where we’ll be this summer:

Barrie Kempenfest: July 31 – August 2
York Eglinton International Street Festival: August 14– 16
Port Credit Buskerfest August: 21 – 23
Canadian National Exhibition : August 21 – September 7
Hamilton Supercrawl: September 12 – September 13
Newmarket Buskerfest + Street Art Celebration:September 22
Markham Fair: October 1 – 4
Pumpkinville: October 17
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair: November 6 – 15

[interr0bangr]

Cross post from the Supercrawl thread...

Originally Posted by thomax

LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter


LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter


LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Kewl...but we're gonna need at least one complete train - a half just won't cut it.

[Jon Dalton]

So are they letting people into that LRT car? You could also go to Toronto and wait for one of their new Bombardier streetcars to come along and go for a ride. They're basically the same.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

So are they letting people into that LRT car? You could also go to Toronto and wait for one of their new Bombardier streetcars to come along and go for a ride. They're basically the same.

Yeah, you're able to do a walk through.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by interr0bangr

Cross post from the Supercrawl thread...

Originally Posted by thomax

LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter


LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter


LRT Display - Supercrawl 2015, on Twitter

Ooooooo boy

[LikeHamilton]

For those who missed at Supercrawl, A Light Rail Vehicle Mockup will be on public display in the forecourt of City Hall from (Today) Oct 20 to Oct 23 9 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday October 24 from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members of the public can visit it, tour the vehicle and talk to city and Metrolinx staff.

[HillStreetBlues]

Brampton city council just voted 6-5 against its segment of the Hurontario LRT line, and will reject the share of provincial money that would have fully-funded it. See article here: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/t...-lrt-1.3291894

Big shame. Instead of Hurontario LRT connecting the Lakeshore Go line with the Kitchener Go line, it will stop three kilometres short of the latter, at Steeles. This will inhibit ridership greatly, and of course deny downtown Brampton and other areas a lot of benefits.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Why are they such fartfaces?

[CaptainKirk]

While I feel bad for Brampton, I wonder if this will indirectly spur some extra
urban intensification in Hamilton, that would have otherwise happened in Brampton.

[king10]

Originally Posted by CaptainKirk

While I feel bad for Brampton, I wonder if this will indirectly spur some extra
urban intensification in Hamilton, that would have otherwise happened in Brampton.

Extra money to extend the Hamilton LRT line to Eastgate?

[thistleclub]

Brampton council rejects downtown LRT
(Toronto Star, Sam Grewal, Oct 28 2015)

Brampton city councillors voted early Wednesday to reject a controversial transit project that would have seen an LRT route run along Main St. through the city’s downtown.

At about 1:30 a.m., council voted 7-4 to reject the Main St. plan that Queen’s Park had approved.

Cries of “shame” and promises of retribution rang out from the thinning crowd as furious residents filed out of the meeting.

Opponents had said the proposed corridor along the Main St. route lacked potential for ridership and future growth.

“It’s baffling to me that we are actually considering saying no,” Brampton resident Nikita Brown said before the decision, referring to the $300 million to $400 million that the province had earmarked for Brampton's share of the $1.6-billion Hurontario-Main LRT project.

Council’s decision means the LRT will now stop at Steeles Ave. instead of continuing north into downtown Brampton along Main St.

Almost 500 people had turned out earlier for the debate, which was held at the Rose Theatre to accommodate a crowd that couldn’t fit into Brampton City Hall's council chamber.

“I believe we made the best decision tonight to stop it at Steeles,” said Councillor John Sprovieri. The motion that passed, killing the Main St. route, allows Brampton to consider alternatives.

Sprovieri said a decision on an eventual LRT route, which council will now begin working on, should be ready in time to pick up construction when the project crosses Mississauga and gets to Steeles.

Councillors who opposed running the LRT up Main St. have proposed an alternate route along Steeles and then north to Queen St., where it could continue east from downtown to the Bramalea GO Train station. Some want it to run east on Queen all the way to the end of the Vaughan subway extension, which is currently under construction.

As the project now stands, the Hurontario LRT will run north-south through Mississauga along the city’s Hurontario spine, turning around at Steeles....

MetroLinx CEO Bruce McCuaig said the provincial money that would have funded the Brampton portion of the defeated LRT plan will now be available for other transit projects across the province.

But he made it clear that any alternative transit plan Brampton now decides on could still be considered by the province for funding. “That would have to be evaluated,” he told councillors.

Read it in full here.