Hamilton Light Rail

Light Rail. Right Now.

Why Everyone Should Support Light Rail

Five reasons that everyone - even in the suburbs - should support light rail in Hamilton.

(You can also download a PDF of this document.)

Investment in Light Rail Transit (LRT) will:

Reduce operating costs per passenger compared to buses.

  • 3x as many passengers per operator
  • Ridership gains almost always exceed projections
  • Cheaper to power
  • Electric vehicles need less maintenance, last 30 years

Alleviate congestion by taking up to 300 people out of their cars and into one vehicle.

  • Attracts riders far more effectively than buses / BRT
  • LRT in other cities has not made congestion worse
  • LRT is popular, even among drivers

Increase municipal tax assessments due to transit oriented economic development.

  • Developers love permanence of LRT, plus its attractiveness to affluent riders.
  • Each dollar spent on LRT produces $6 in new private investment. For example:
    • LRT in Portland, OR has attracted $2.3 billion in new private development since 2001.
    • LRT in Charlotte NC has attracted $1.8 billion in planned development since 2007.
    • LRT in Norfolk, VA has already attracted $220 million in development - and they haven't started building yet!
  • $300 million LRT in Hamilton could attract $1.8 billion in new private development and $50 million in new tax assessments.

Reduce pressure to intensify suburban neighbourhoods.

  • Hamilton must meet provincial intensification targets.
  • Higher density along transit corridors boost city average and helps city to meet provincial mandate.

No tunnels required.

  • LRT can ride the gentle grade of the Claremont Access or the Jolley Cut instead of James Mountain Rd.
  • Without the tunnels, the capital cost for LRT is much lower.
  • New models can run without overhead wires.

Provincial/Federal funding for LRT capital costs!

References

"Charlotte NC Light Rail Posts Ridership Record", Progressive Railroading, Mar. 24, 2008

"Portland Streetcar: Development Oriented Transit", Office of Transportation and Portland Streetcar, Inc., January 2006

"Streetcars and Economic Development: The Dynamic Linkage Between Them", HDR Inc. Architects and Consultants

APTA Ridership Report Statistics -- United States Light Rail Agencies Index, American Public Transportation Association, 2008

Jennifer Jiggetts, "Norfolk says light rail's benefits already rolling in", Virginian-Pilot, Dec. 6, 2007

Polzin, Steve and Page, Oliver, "Ridership Trends of New Start Rail Projects", National Center for Transit Research, University of South Florida, 2003

Sorter, Amy Wolff, "Phoenix, AZ Developers Climb Aboard Light-Rail Bandwagon", Globe St., Mar. 31, 2008

Turner, Melanie, "US public transit ridership reaches highest level in 50 years", Sacramento Business Journal, Mar. 10, 2008