Metrolinx to start vetting Hamilton LRT project bidders, buy more properties along line

Metrolinx says it is planning to break up Hamilton's massive $3.4-billion LRT project into two separate construction contracts and expects to start vetting prospective bidders in short order."

The provincial transit agency will also try to buy another 30-plus properties in the way of the train this year, knock down other buildings it already owns and begin advanced enabling works" like moving utilities off the LRT corridor.

But project planners are not yet willing to say publicly when residents can expect to see major construction work begin on the long-delayed, multi-year light rail transit project.

The 14-kilometre LRT line slated for the Main-King-Queenston corridor was controversially cancelled over budget overruns but resurrected in 2021 by a federal-provincial funding commitment of $3.4 billion.

Two years later, the provincial project manager now expects to start procurement in short order," said Jason Fellen, Metrolinx vice-president for Hamilton LRT. That process starts by releasing a request for qualifications, a method of vetting prospective bidders ahead of a formal request for proposals (RFP).

We hope to release it as soon as we can," Fellen said after presenting to the city's LRT subcommittee Friday.

A tentative project schedule circulated in 2022 suggested LRT procurement could start as early as April of that year, with major construction - like digging up roads and replacing sewers - considered possible in 2024.

The start of procurement has since been put off repeatedly, however. Neither Fellen nor Hamilton LRT office director Abdul Shaikh would give an opinion Friday on whether major construction could still start next year.

But procurement for a project of this magnitude can easily take between nine and 12 months. More design work is also typically needed after a contract is awarded and before shovels hit the ground.

Another timeline clue is the city's plans to convert Main Street to two-way traffic before major LRT construction starts on parallel King Street. That conversion work is not expected to start until next year.

Part of the timeline uncertainty for LRT comes from an evolving route design, examples of which are now posted online on the city's website.

The train will still hit all 17 planned stops and run from McMaster University to Eastgate Square along Main and King streets as well as Queenston Road. But the city and Metrolinx have been tweaking the design to take into consideration new council priorities like a two-way Main Street, more pedestrian safety elements and a desire for more green space.

Metrolinx is also proposing a new collaborative" contract model that will split major construction into two projects, said Fellen.

The first contract would focus on things like building bridges and digging up the road to relocate sewers and utilities. A second contract would handle transit elements like rails, signals, trains and a maintenance facility. (A debate still looms for council later this year over whether LRT operation will be contracted out, or handled by the city.)

Fellen said it is too soon to say whether the two-headed contract model will extend or shorten the overall construction timeline. Regardless, work is expected to span several years.

But the changes will hopefully help control costs and mitigate risk" for construction partners leery about taking on financial responsibility for the traditional one-consortium-does-all contract previously favoured by Metrolinx.

Mayor Andrea Horwath said she was heartened to hear a commitment to a collaboration approach" and learning from the challenges of other major transit projects.

Dare I say, the Eglinton Crosstown is not what we want in Hamilton," she said, alluding to the late and overbudget Toronto light rail project that is currently mired in lawsuits between the builders, province and Metrolinx. It's extremely important to take those lessons."

Flamborough Chamber of Commerce head Matteo Patricelli also asked if the project was in danger of going overbudget, given the challenges of rising inflation and labour shortages.

Fellen acknowledged the significant" changes in the price of materials and labour as a challenge for all transit projects, but couldn't say Friday whether the $3.4-billion budget for Hamilton's LRT would need a boost.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com