Survey backs city-run LRT option over private operator
The survey was released by a coalition of labour and transit advocates ahead of a council debate on operating options for Hamilton’s long-planned light rail line.
A new survey of Hamilton residents shows a majority of respondents back the idea of a light rail transit line run by the city, rather than a private operator.
The survey of around 1,000 adults conducted by Mainstreet Research in February was commissioned by the Keep Transit Public Coalition, which is pushing for a LRT run by the city’s own Hamilton Street Railway.
The late February automated telephone interview survey, conducted over land line and cellphones, shows 67 per cent of respondents would prefer a HSR-run rapid transit line.
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Fewer than eight per cent indicated a preference for a contracted private operator, while another 25 per cent said they did not know or were undecided.
The alliance of labour and transit advocates released the survey a week ahead of an expected city council debate on operating options for a LRT line expected to stretch 14 kilometres from McMaster University to Eastgate Square mall.
“I think it shows an appetite to have the city run our new light rail system,” said Karl Andrus, an organizer with coalition member the Hamilton Community Benefits Network. He argued residents appear reluctant to “hand public dollars and responsibility” for local transit to a private corporation.
The city is responsible for the costs of operating and maintaining the LRT — but who actually does the job is up to Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency managing the project.
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In the past, the agency wanted to contract out the work, but has more recently indicated it is willing to consider municipal operations if council makes that request.
City staff have recommended starting with a privately run LRT, citing potentially lower risk and cost as well as Hamilton’s lack of modern rapid transit experience. But a recent staff report also suggests asking for the ability to take the service in-house after 10 years.
Council also previously heard from the former top bureaucrat with Waterloo Region, Mike Murray, who said a privately operated model has worked well for the LRT line in Kitchener-Waterloo.
The coalition, by contrast, has pushed hard for Hamilton to maintain control over operations, with HSR drivers’ union ATU local 107 arguing it has contract provisions that prevent private operation of new local transit service.
Union president Eric Tuck said in a statement he is not surprised at the public support for a city-run service given the “historical record” of more than a century of reliable transit service provided by the HSR.
HSR union president Erick Tuck is part of a coalition pushing for a city-run LRT.
Scott Gardner Spectator file photo
The survey also shows around 65 per cent of respondents were “much more likely” to support a project that is city-run, rather than operated by the private sector.
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That’s notable for an off-again, on-again rapid transit project that has been “deeply contentious” for residents, said Andrus.
“This tells me the project is more popular if it is kept public,” he said. “I hope this is an eyeopener for councillors on the fence.”
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