The Request for Qualifications is only for first phase LRT-related construction. Photo Credit: City of Hamilton.
The Ontario government announced that they have officially issued a Request for Qualifications for Hamilton’s 14 km Light Rail Transit (LRT) project that will connect Eastgate Square Mall to McMaster University.
The LRT will also directly connect users to Downtown Hamilton, City Hall, the FirstOntario Centre, and Tim Hortons Field.
It should be noted that the LRT does not directly go to any of Hamilton’s GO stations, with transit users needing to walk or transfer to an HSR bus to get to either Hamilton GO, West Harbour GO, or Confederation GO.
At this point, the Request for Qualifications is only for first phase LRT-related construction, not for the track itself.
A press release from the Government of Ontario states, “The Civil Works and Utility Relocations Request for Qualifications invites contractors to submit a statement of qualifications to lead the construction of most civil work, including utility relocations, roads, structures, grade separations, bridges, sidewalks, and traffic control signals along the 14-kilometre alignment.”
As part of the LRT project, higher levels of government will also be financing much-needed replacements of municipal infrastructure such as water and wastewater.
The province will then evaluate the received submissions, create a shortlist of suitable candidates, and invite them to submit official proposals.
Submissions will be judged based on company experience and financial capacity.
Once a partner has been chosen, detailed designs, a construction schedule, and costs will be prepared.
Joseph Mancinelli, Canadian Director and International Vice President for construction union LiUNA, commented on the announcement saying: “Investing in viable transit infrastructure will continue to spur economic development and address critical infrastructure and transit needs throughout the city while creating thousands of jobs for the members of LiUNA and skilled trade workers.”
Metrolinx also released new LRT renditions of certain stops along the route.
Those include an image of an LRT train coming out of an underpass on King Street East near Gage Avenue.
Metrolinx explains that the underpass will be built so that the LRT will be able to cross underneath the existing railroad tracks that intersect with the road.
Metrolinx says that separating the LRT line from the existing CPKC rail line “will ensure reliable, continuous movement along the LRT route and a smooth convenient journey for customers.”
The $3.4-billion Hamilton LRT has both provincial and federal support, with each level of government committing $1.7 billion to the project in May 2021.
However, there have been concerns that construction costs for the project could end up being much higher.
For example, a plan to extend the Kitchener LRT an extra 17.5 km to Cambridge was estimated to cost $1.5 billion in 2021 but is now expected to cost $4.5 billion.
It is expected that the provincial and federal governments would pick up any cost overruns.
However, the City of Hamilton will be responsible for operating costs once the LRT opens, and there are also concerns that those costs could be much higher than expected.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
