Ontario awards first major work package for Hamilton light-rail line

The government of Canada and province of Ontario recently noted continued progress on the development of the Hamilton light-rail line via a major contract award. 

The line will run about 8.7 miles from Eastgate to McMaster and include 17 stops, connecting up to 50,000 riders to jobs and housing each day. 

The Ontario government awarded a contract for the first major package of civil and utility work to the Hamilton Transit Alliance. Led by Aecon Group Inc., the alliance will advance design and construction planning work over the next two years. 

Work will include developing construction schedules and performing preparatory work along the route, such as utility relocations, bridges, sidewalks and traffic-control systems. 

To help fund the project, the Canadian government is providing up to CA$1.7 billion, the largest federal public transit investment in Hamilton, Ontario officials said in a press release. The province is leading the project's construction through Metrolinx. 

"This project will transform how people travel across downtown Hamilton, creating connections to the Hamilton Street Railway and GO Transit,” said Metrolinx President and CEO Michael Lindsay in a press release. 

A firm timeline for completion of the project is not expected until 2027 or 2028.