The original plan for the Hamilton LRT project will include approximately 11 kilometers of new light rail that will connect McMaster University through downtown Hamilton to Queenston Circle. The project also includes a high-order pedestrian connection to the Hamilton GO Centre Station, and a maintenance and storage facility. In April, Hamilton City Council voted in favour of the LRT line, but decided to investigate the 14 km option, versus the original 11 km option, extending the line eastward from Queenston Circle to Eastgate Square.
The current $1 billion budget is expected to rise, as Metrolinx cites in its September 2019 Capital Projects Group Quarterly Report that: “the project’s announced capital budget is $1,000M in nominal 2014 dollars plus escalation. Revised baseline in year of expenditure dollars to be reported upon contract award.”
In April of 2018, three teams were announced as the successful proponents to participate in the RFP. According to Infrastructure Ontario’s P3 Market Update, released in September 2019, financial close is expected in October 2020.
