HAMILTON, Ontario — The Ontario provincial government has cancelled C$1 billion in funding for a proposed light rail project in Hamilton, a decision that Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger called “a betrayal” of his city.Monday’s decision came on an afternoon the CBC called “chaotic,” as a press conference to announce the move was cancelled in the face of protests, the provincial transportation minister needed a police escort to leave town, and police were called to deal with two city council members who refused to leave a planned briefing.
The $1 billion provincial commitment had been promised by a previous government, but the current Progessive Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford had said it would follow through, and regional transportation agency Metrolinx had already spent $162 million on the proposed 8.7 mile system, first proposed in 2007.
But Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said in a statement that a third-party review had determined the system would cost “an astonishing $5.5 billion” and said the previous government had misrepresented its true cost.
The Hamilton mayor learned of the decision just before the planned press conference and had to announce it when Mulroney left because of the protesters.
“Their timing on this just outrageous,” Eisenberger told the CBC. “If they were going to do this, they could have picked a better way.”
GERALD In Canada it would be stated “she pulled the dollar amount of her bum”.
Gerald, you calling “me daft”, which is a good rap most days but a bum rap on this issue. In my post I supported rail where it carries a lot of people. If SeaTac would carry 30-55 K per day that’s a good number so I say build it. But I don’t think you’re going to get 30-55k bums in the seats on the train in Hamilton.
Finally a provincial government with some sense.
Charles, are you that daft, the woman, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, pulled the $5.5 billion dollar amount out of her rear end(based on a ALLEGED 3rd party cost review, that I can guarantee you wasn’t done since the elections just ended there recently) so she could cancel the already promised C$1(basically $750 Million U.S.$) from the provincial government.
There’s one thing you seem to keep forgetting when building these projects, you have to move all existing infrastructure/utilities before you can start the actual construction on said transit projects, if you think it’s cheap to relocate utilities that have been underground for decades, then I have a bridge to sell you, as well as ocean front property.
Regarding the Sea-Tac expansion, did you know they’re projecting an additional 30 – 55,000 riders per day just from those 3 stops? Just how many vehicles does that remove from the roadways that are already congested. It’s people like you that only see the little picture or what’s otherwise just in front of their noses and can’t look at the bigger picture, just like Wall Street types.
If cities had any intelligent planning process, they’d restrict vehicle access when building those light rail lines and reroute city bus lines into feeder systems. Would that inconvenience some people, yes, until they got used to their new transit solutions, which would allow them to relax on the way to and from work/shopping/downtown’s, etc.
Try to think like this is the 21st Century and not the mid 20th Century, we need to change and people can either accept it or be left behind.
Firstly it’s not a good sign that people whose light rail is taken away act like two-year-olds whose toy is taken away. If you don’t like what the Tory provincial government does, too bad, so sad. They were elected. You can protest, you can petition, you can write a letter to the editor, you can vote for the Grits the next election. But don’t act like that. Canada is a free country. Ontario is a free province. Don’t whine as if Queens Park is the Gestapo or the Politburo.
Secondly I’d love to know what is proposed for light rail in Hamilton that’s worth that number of Loonies. Five and a half Billion Loonies must be twice the cost of the huge freeway interchange in Hamilton/ Burlington that sorts traffic from Toronto to the northeast, Detroit/ Windsor/ London to the west, and Niagara/ Buffalo/ New York City to the southeast.
Yesterday on this forum we had the discussion of the SeaTac light rail. Today, Hamilton. In the past, New York City’s Second Avenue subway. And there have been megabucks boondoggles such as light rail in Milwaukee and Washington. I’m pro transit, but I must say the only projects that should be built are those that carry the largest number of people at the quickest transit times and the shortest headways at the least cost. We simply can’t afford to build light rail in every city in USA and Canada that wants it.
Then there’s Detroit with its three mile long trolley on M-1 (Woodward Avenue) running at the speed of a walk – in a metro area that sprawls thirty miles in every direction except south into Canada. I know the problem – you need a car to get anywhere – but how is that trolley a solution?