Federal government pledges $62M in transit funding for Hamilton

The federal government is pledging more than $62 million for transit funding in Hamilton over the next 10 years.

Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith made the announcement at the Mountain Transit Centre on Monday. He was joined by Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner, Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas MP Filomena Tassi, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Chad Collins and Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath.

The Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) is expected to receive just over $62.1 million from 2026 to 2036, according to a news release shared on Monday.

The money is coming to the city through the Canada Public Transit Fund, which is "designed to meet the unique needs of communities of all sizes" and is set to provide $3 billion per year for public transit starting in 2026 and 2027, according to the federal government's website.

The funding is conditional on the submission of plans related to the funding of the project, according to the news release.

Horwath said in a social media post the investment will "make it easier for Hamiltonians to get to places that matter most."

"This investment… supports our efforts as we implement a redesigned transit network that will see an expansion — and enhancement of our service," she said in a post to X.

Overall HSR network redesign in the works since 2023

According to the news release, the funding will "upgrade, replace or modernize," as well as maintain Hamilton's public transit infrastructure.

"This investment … will help increase the housing supply and affordability as part of complete, transit-oriented communities while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change," the release said.

Transit director Maureen Cosyn Heath said the money will help expand the transit network, replace old buses and buy additional ones and "enhance the overall customer experience."

In 2023, the HSR promised a new, expanded transit plan that it said would result in a faster, more frequent and reliable bus service.

The plan includes nine additional routes, 112 more bus stops, extended hours and six rapid routes that would take riders to the 14-kilometre light rail transit (LRT) line that will eventually connect McMaster University and Eastgate Mall.

"This new plan will lay out how the transit network will evolve over the next seven years. This announcement provides some certainty to fund the service enhancements," Heath told CBC Hamilton in a statement Tuesday.

McMaster University engineers who helped city staff develop the network estimated in 2023 that the proposed plan would cost around $156 million.