innsertnamehere said:
I would love if they could figure out a way to keep the trees in the International Village.

I put a bit of thought into some potential improvements to the alignment, and I think this may be a good one which may actually save costs or at least be generally comparable:

Orange = Existing Alignment, including the orange hatched area which will be the MSF.
Red = new grade separated alignment

View attachment 465694

Basically instead of a huge bridge over the 403 and Cathedral Park, as well as rebuilding the Longwood Road bridge, it would have a smaller bridge starting west of Longwood Road. a new underpass underneath Longwood road with a grade seperated stop better serving the McMaster Innovation Park would then replace the currently planned Longwood Rd Station, before the line ran along the 403 to an underpass underneath Main Street. Finally, it would run along the CP corridor beside Cathedral Park instead of through it, before rising and meeting King St at grade like currently planned.

There is probably a similar amount of structure, if not less structure, involved, and it would allow the LRT to dodge 3 stoplights it'll have to navigate on it's current alignment. Would make travel times on the core segment of the LRT, between McMaster and Downtown, much quicker. Plus the connecting track to the MSF would be shorter, runing behind the McMaster Innovation Park instead, and allowing the Longwood Rd bridge to not have to be completely rebuilt to support LRT tracks.
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So why are the trees in the International Village sacred, but the ones your your modified route not?

Dan
 
smallspy said:
So why are the trees in the International Village sacred, but the ones your your modified route not?

Dan
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…I think it’s pretty clear why. One area is what remains of a historic neighbourhood, full of vibrance and activity. The other is effectively a noise barrier for the 403 backing onto the Mac innovation park. One location clearly offers more shade utility and aesthetic value than the other.
 
Hamilton city council discussed the LRT today including a design update. I'm still going through the details:

Hamilton Light Rail Transit (LRT) Governance Frameworks and Design Update (PED23139) (City Wide) - Light Rail Transit Sub-committee - June 02, 2023

pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com
Metrolinx also gave a presentation to council. They are no longer planning to use a P3 for the whole project.
Screenshot 2023-06-02 at 3.29.28 PM.png
 
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blaixx said:
They are no longer planning to use a P3 for the whole project.
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No private sector company would have agreed to P3 for the entire project (which I assume means utility relocation, urban realm, etc). Too many actors and too much timeline and implementation risk. I’m surprised Metrolinx even considered it, or thought it would be feasible.
 
I wonder if this will become another Sheppard Subway debacle. Promise the fund for the project and just keep delaying and diverting money away.
 
yrt+viva=1system said:
I wonder if this will become another Sheppard Subway debacle. Promise the fund for the project and just keep delaying and diverting money away.
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Politically at least, this government has no reason to start the project. But it does seem they are serious this time about starting very soon. Difference between this and Sheppard is that the Hamilton LRT won’t be that expensive in the grand scheme of things. I would also attribute some (not all) of the delays to the issues with Line 5- mainly the fact that it isn’t done.
 
Allandale25 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1670523130756964352
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Sadly, hyping up the LRT is the only thing we have been good at. The constant delays have actually made this strategy a really bad look imo, because it just reminds everyone that nothing has actually happened since they started this crap a decade ago. And its not just me saying this- I have been hearing it from people for a long time now. There was literally an LRV at Super Crawl in 2013 IIRC. It's embarrassing and has removed the credibility of efforts like this, which should be fairly innocent and well-meaning. No one cares how great of an idea it is anymore. The consensus is (and always has been), either give it to us or stop dangling these carrots. Hamiltonians, especially in the lower city, have not and do not appreciate being treated like just a political demographic to be placated while the real money goes elsewhere.
 
Sunnyside said:
Sadly, hyping up the LRT is the only thing we have been good at. The constant delays have actually made this strategy a really bad look imo, because it just reminds everyone that nothing has actually happened since they started this crap a decade ago. And its not just me saying this- I have been hearing it from people for a long time now. There was literally an LRV at Super Crawl in 2013 IIRC. It's embarrassing and has removed the credibility of efforts like this, which should be fairly innocent and well-meaning. No one cares how great of an idea it is anymore. The consensus is (and always has been), either give it to us or stop dangling these carrots. Hamiltonians, especially in the lower city, have not and do not appreciate being treated like just a political demographic to be placated while the real money goes elsewhere.
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My parents live near Mac and my father, now in his early eighties, makes jokes that he won't live to see it.
 
Jonny5 said:
My parents live near Mac and my father, now in his early eighties, makes jokes that he won't live to see it.
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I hope that won’t come true. My grandparents came to Canada in the 50s; I asked the two of them still alive if they remembered what it was like with streetcars all around the city. It didn’t seem like a detail they recalled clearly unfortunately, but they could distinguish the radials from the streetcars (not sure if the history lines up here, but alas). I like to think the other late two would’ve enjoyed seeing their return as the LRT, especially considering one worked for CN- he was probably fond of rails in the hammer!

But yknow what, as long as we get to see it, that’s what counts for me. It will be a new age for Hamilton; a better one for ourselves and our children.
 
Sunnyside said:
Sadly, hyping up the LRT is the only thing we have been good at. The constant delays have actually made this strategy a really bad look imo, because it just reminds everyone that nothing has actually happened since they started this crap a decade ago. And its not just me saying this- I have been hearing it from people for a long time now. There was literally an LRV at Super Crawl in 2013 IIRC. It's embarrassing and has removed the credibility of efforts like this, which should be fairly innocent and well-meaning. No one cares how great of an idea it is anymore. The consensus is (and always has been), either give it to us or stop dangling these carrots. Hamiltonians, especially in the lower city, have not and do not appreciate being treated like just a political demographic to be placated while the real money goes elsewhere.
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Don’t forget about all of the lost deeply-affordable apartments and architectural gems like the old Bank at King & Sherman.

They’ve not only been dangling carrots in front of us for 10+ years, they’ve actively evicted some of Hamilton’s most vulnerable citizens while making no efforts to preserve the corridor’s traditional affordability.

Not to mention all the re-urbanization projects being held up “Pending LRT”.

Write the Mayor and your Councillor telling them to get serious about this project. You’re absolutely right that the word on the street is “who cares?” and that’s really unfortunate.
 
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