In a letter released late Monday afternoon, President & Chief Executive Officer of Metrolinx Phil Verster has delivered a January 24, 2018 deadline for Hamilton City Council to make a final decision on the B-Line Light Rail Project.

The letter responds to a August 18, 2017 resolution by Hamilton City Council demanding the province give them control of the operations of the LRT and that the Hamilton Street Railway operate the line.

The province’s long-awaited response is that the HSR can operate the line, if the City assumes the liabilities, costs, and increased construction costs resulting from the change.

Verster states the province does not believe HSR operating the project is in the best interests of the LRT nor City Council.

The deadline is included in the three page letter sent to Hamilton’s City Manager on Friday.

Council Must Decide Quickly if They’ll Run the LRT

With the January 24 deadline looming, Council must decide quickly if they wish to fund the cost of HSR operating the LRT.

If Council votes to operate the LRT, the City’s LRT Director Paul Johnson, in a report to Council, says he’ll “immediately” need to hire “a team of one to three rail experts would be needed to clearly define the role of the operator in all tender documents, particularly the Project Specific Output Specifications (PSOS). This team could consist of full-time staff, but would more likely, given time constraints and availability of resources, consist of consultants”.

No budget estimate is provided for these consultants.

Johnson says his office will require an additional team “of approximately five people” during the design and build phases of the project to “ensure that the interests of the City as operator were protected”. He estimates this will cost $750,000.

Johnson further states that voting to have HSR operate the LRT exposes the City to cost implications for delays. “There is a risk that these interfaces could cause delays for which the City would be responsible. Any such delays attributed to the City could also have cost implications.”

The report continues with further risks to the City:

“Claims related to the City’s role as operator include not only foreseeable claims, such as those associated with accidents and/or the City’s role in the design development and delivery phases of the project, but also unforeseeable claims.”

If the City chooses to operate the LRT, operators would be part of the same union, ATU 107, as HSR bus operators.

Council Meeting Called for Friday

City Council will hold a special (emergency) Council GIC meeting on Friday morning to debate their response to the letter. At the time of publication of this article, there were two public delegations registered to speak, both from the NO LRT movement: Carol Lazich, and Sarah Warry Poljanski.

Members of the public can register to speak to Council on the new LRT development, and if the HSR should operate the LRT prior to 12 noon on Thursday using the City’s online delegation request form.

Full Text of Letter from Province to Hamilton City Council on HSR Operating LRT