In September 2021, Hamilton City Council voted to reinitiate the project after it was previously cancelled by the province in 2019 due to rising costs. The LRT, as proposed, would bring 14 kilometres of rapid transit to Ontario’s fifth-largest city. Once complete, the new LRT line will connect McMaster University in the west to Eastgate in the East, with 17 stops planned on the route. Demolition of Metrolinx-owned properties along the Hamilton LRT route began in the Spring of 2022, along with early construction works for utility relocations and procurement—the Request for Qualifications for bidders—on the main construction contract is expected to start this year as well.
In the coming years, these properties will be required for station stops, infrastructure, and widening to accommodate the future LRT right of way. In the short term, demolition sites will be restored, secured with fencing, and monitored by security contractors.
