An estimate of the additional cost to city taxpayers, once Hamilton’s light rail transit (LRT) line is up and running, will be presented to city councillors on Thursday.
A staff report predicts an impact on municipal services — along the corridor from McMaster University to Eastgate Square — of between $5.2 million and $13.7 million more a year.
Most of it relates to additional costs for things like snow removal, road maintenance, managing traffic signals and waste collection, while the rest would cover transit-related costs.
Three short-listed finalists are currently developing proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain Hamilton’s LRT, to be built with $1 billion in promised provincial funding.
The goal is to start construction next year, with LRT operational by 2024.
The shortlisted proponents and their prime team members include:
• CityLine Transit Group
Equity Providers: ACS, Aecon, CRH, TIAA;
Constructors: Dragados, Aecon, Dufferin;
Design Team: Parsons, HDR, Amec, RDHA; and,
Operation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation Team: ACS, Aecon, CRH, Serco.
• Ei8ht Transit
Equity Providers: EllisDon, Fluor, Bombardier;
Constructors: Fluor Canada, EllisDon Civil, Bombardier;
Design Team: WSP/MMM, Hatch, Gh3, Bombardier; and,
Operation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation Team: EllisDon Facilities Services, Bombardier.
• Mobilinx
Equity Providers: Astaldi, John Laing, Hitachi-Ansaldo, Amico, Transdev;
Constructors: Astaldi, Hitachi-Ansaldo, Amico, Bot;
Design Team: IBI, Hitachi-Ansaldo, Daoust Lestage, Morrison Hershfield, Exp
Services, Arcadis; and,
Operation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation Team: Transdev, Hitachi-Ansaldo, Astaldi.
The staff report which goes before Thursday’s meeting of the general issues committee, also says LRT will require removing about 90 per cent of the curbside trees along the 14-kilometre route.