Announcement on the LRT coming Friday
Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin will make an LRT announcement Friday as the city waits for bidding to begin on Hamilton’s $1-billion light rail transit project.
The city is still waiting for a delayed Request for Proposals to be released by project head Metrolinx for consortiums hoping to bid on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the 14kilometre LRT line proposed to run from McMaster University to Eastgate Square.
The bidding process was supposed to start last fall, but was delayed several months by council’s decision to debate, then abandon, the idea of the HSR running LRT rather than a private operator.
A March 22 letter from new Metrolinx president Phil Verster, formally considered by council Wednesday night, said the agency planned to release the RFP “in the coming weeks” in the hopes of being able to start construction in late 2019 and have trains rolling by 2024.
Other ongoing LRT work includes creating a framework for a community benefits agreement meant to emphasize local hiring, help disadvantaged communities and address potential affordable housing issues. Several councillors hope the provincially-funded project will include a firm commitment to ensure affordable housing is incorporated into redevelopment along the LRT line.
Council must also sign off on an operating and maintenance agreement before the construction project can go ahead. Hamilton’s new LRT project point person, Kris Jacobson, will report “best guess” cost estimates to the city at a July meeting.
Provincial PC Leader Doug Ford recently spurred new speculation about the contentious project by suggesting Hamilton could keep the LRT money even if a new council decides to switch gears and abandon the project. That suggestion came just days after his earlier assertion that he supports the project because it “will create jobs, countless new jobs and stimulate economic development.”
Regardless, the project agreement won’t be signed before the May provincial election or the October city election. The announcement is slated for 11 a.m. at McMaster University.