Ontario seeks qualified contractors to build Hamilton’s LRT

The Ontario government is working with the City of Hamilton to take the next step in building the city’s Light Rail Transit system.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced Wednesday that the province is now seeking qualified contractors who can carry out the work.

“I’m pleased to announce we’ve issued a request for qualifications on the Hamilton LRT, bringing us one step closer to getting shovels in the ground,” Sarkaria said at the press conference, alongside Mayor Andrea Horwath and other officials.

Eligible contractors can now submit their credentials. They will then be shortlisted by the Ontario government and vetted for the project.

But that doesn’t mean the city will see shovels in the ground any time soon.

“We’re very focused. This is a key step towards getting shovels in the ground and over the next couple of months we’ll examine bids from those who are interested. It’s a project that we want to see the market not only across Ontario but internationally look to bid on,” Sarkaria said.

The 14km LRT is planned to connect McMaster University to Eastgate Square and carry up to 50,000 daily riders.

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However, it remains unclear who will operate the service.

“We’re not yet at the stage of deciding how the operations or maintenance will be executed. There’s ample time to discuss it in the years to come,” said Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster.

When it was initially pitched, the LRT project had a price tag of $1 billion. After it was briefly axed in 2019 and then resurrected in 2021, that cost more than tripled to approximately $3.4 billion.

Hamilton Liberal MP Filomena Tassi made clear that the federal government plans to shore up to $1.7 billion of those monies needed to carry it out.

“These investments yield results that increase productivity and help make life more affordable. That’s why the federal government has committed $1.7 billion towards Hamilton’s first LRT line.”

There is no timeline for when construction will be finished.

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