Hamilton LRT

Alignment

The Hamilton LRT will run 14 km across the lower city, with 17 stops. From McMaster at McMaster University it heads east on Main Street West, crossing Highway 403 on a rebuilt and widened Main Street bridge, and stops at Longwood. At Dundurn it turns onto King Street and runs east through downtown, with stops at Queen, James, Mary, Wellington, Wentworth, Sherman, Scott Park (near Hamilton Stadium), Gage Park and Ottawa. It rejoins Main Street where King and Main meet and continues past Kenilworth to Queenston, at the Queenston Traffic Circle. From there it follows Queenston Road through Parkdale and Nash to Eastgate, at Eastgate Square and Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek.

The line runs at street level, except for a new King Street East underpass that will take trains beneath the CPKC rail line. It will connect with GO Transit and Hamilton Street Railway buses. The governments’ 2021 announcement put the end-to-end trip at about 32 minutes. Metrolinx forecasts about 50,000 riders a day, including 16,400 new daily trips. An operations, maintenance and storage facility is planned on Chatham Street. The project also rebuilds much of the corridor: 14 km of road and sewers, 16 km of watermain, 28 km of sidewalk, and 62 traffic signals.

Delivery is split into two main packages. Civil works and utilities come first, under an alliance contract. Stops, rail and systems will be procured separately. The City of Hamilton’s only planned financial role is to pay operating costs once the line opens.

Updates

2026-04 — Aecon-led alliance chosen for first major contract

On April 30, Ontario awarded the civil and utilities package to the Hamilton Transit Alliance, led by Aecon, with Hatch, Egis and Systra as designers. The package covers utility relocations, grade separations, road reconstruction, sidewalks and traffic systems. An 18–24 month development phase will set the design, a target price and the construction schedule. A second procurement will cover stops, rail and systems. Ottawa reaffirmed its contribution of up to C$1.7B.

2026-02 — C$243M spent so far

Metrolinx reported spending C$42M on the project in the last quarter of 2025, bringing the total to C$243M. In late November 2025 it bought 155 Chatham Street for the maintenance and storage facility. The Public Record estimated that major construction could not start until 2028 and questioned whether the budget would be enough.

2025-11 — Federal funding agreement still not signed

Federal Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson confirmed that the final Canada–Ontario agreement needed to release Ottawa’s C$1.7B had not been signed. He said he was surprised by how long the project was expected to take to reach operation. The province reported about C$179M spent as of September 2025. In 2021, construction had been promised for 2024.

2025-06 — Metrolinx gives no construction timeline

At a public open house, Metrolinx said utility relocation and environmental and archaeological surveys had been under way since 2023. It said four teams were bidding on the civil contract and that a winner would be picked in early 2026. A spokesperson said major work would start 18–24 months after the development phase began, which could mean 2028 or later. Staff said they had no opening date to share.

2021-05 — Ottawa and Ontario revive the full line

On May 13, 2021, the federal and provincial governments committed nearly C$3.4B to the 14 km McMaster–Eastgate line. Each will pay 50% of eligible costs, up to C$1.7B, and Ontario will cover lifecycle costs. Hamilton city council later voted to negotiate a memorandum of understanding and proceed.

2019-12 — Province cancels the project

The Ford government cancelled the LRT, citing an estimated C$5.5B cost. Capital costs at the time were put at C$2.85B including financing.

2015 — Province commits C$1B

Ontario announced C$1B in capital funding for a Hamilton LRT, then targeting an opening in 2024.