Backgrounder: Residents of Hamilton to benefit from improvements to public transit infrastructure

Replacement of Birch Avenue Bridge and Associated Road Work /Construction of Salt Management Facility

Replacement of a rail bridge, the completion of associated road work, and the construction of a salt management facility. This includes the replacement of Birch Avenue bridge, the reconstruction of 800 metres of road, the installation of a storm water pump station and applicable pipe reconfiguration to manage road drainage, the installation of  approximately 97 metres of the water main, and the construction of a salt management facility.

Dispatching and AVL Hardware and Software Replacement

Installation of new dispatch and automatic vehicle location systems on buses in the transit fleet to provide automated real-time detour and service interruption information to transit users.

Expansion of Transit Fleet to Support Service Growth

Purchase of up to 85 forty-foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which will enable the City of Hamilton to expand its fleet and increase public transit service by an additional 300,000 service hours by 2026, in accordance with the city's 10-Year Transit Strategy.

Construction of Active Transportation Connections

Construction of an approximately 185 m active transportation bridge, 1.4 km of new bike paths, 420m of upgraded bike paths, 3.4 km of new multi-use connections to transit, and up to 500 new bike parking spaces (including sheltered and long-term secure parking). The project also includes 30 new bike-share stations, repairs to existing damaged bike-share stations, and approximately 17.8km of new sidewalks.

Implement Priority Bus Measures along A-Line Corridor

Implementation of priority bus movement on the 16 km-long A-Line rapid transit route. Work includes the construction of five new queue jump lanes, the implementation of transit signal priority measures at approximately 26 intersections, improvements to approximately 19 transit stops along the corridor, and approximately 17 km of new sidewalk construction along 12 different segments of rapid transit roadway to provide improved active transportation connection options to public transit users.

Replacement of Transit Fleet

Replacement of conventional buses in the Hamilton transit fleet. This involves the procurement of approximately 92 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to replace buses that have reached the end of their lifecycle. This will include 40' buses (approximately 72) and 60' buses (approximately 20).

New Maintenance & Storage Facility

Construction of a new 60,000 square metre public transit maintenance and storage facility. The facility will include a 30 bus maintenance area, two indoor compressed natural gas fueling lanes, 2 bus wash rack systems,  storage for 200 conventional size buses, approximately 4,000 sq. m of administration space, and a four-level parking structure to accommodate approximately 400 parking spaces for employees.