Author's note: This article will only concern itself with the planing and history of the GO-ALRT in the City of Hamilton. For a fuller history of the planned GO-ALRT network, please consult these sources
On October 7, 1982, the Ontario government announced that design work was to begin immediately on a $252 million transit line that would connect Oakville to Hamilton. The proposed route would see the line running along the hydro corridor south of the QEW to the QEW/Hwy 403 interchange (Hwy 407 would not be built for almost 20 years), and then follow the 403 around Cootes Paradise and into Hamilton. The exact route and end of the line in Hamilton were still to be decided.
This new transit line would be the western section of the Government of Ontario Advanced Light Rail Transit (GO-ALRT) system, and would operate using vehicles developed by the Urban Transportation and Development Corporation (UTDC) that were similar to those of the recently rejected Hamilton ICTS, but would be 12.7 meters long and operate at speeds of 120 km/hr. The GO-ALRT would connect to traditional diesel GO trains at Oakville where riders would interchange to continue on into Toronto. The line was scheduled to open in 1988, and transportation minister James Snow suggested that in the long term the line might in the future continue up the mountain to the airport or east to Stony Creek.
When the original proposal was made there were four proposed locations for the Hamilton terminus of the GO-ALRT
Map of proposed GO-ALRT routes. From the October 8, 1982 Hamilton Spectator, pg A7
However, this would be quickly superseded, and the province undertook an examination of no less than 14 possible routes into downtown Hamilton.
One first side effect of the GO-ALRT project would be the halting of planning work for the new Hamilton intercity bus terminal, to replace the one at Rebecca and John. GO-ALRT was expected to cause a marked drop in bus routes, to the point that it was thought that merging the bus terminal with the new GO-ALRT terminal would be feasible. Discussion had begun almost a decade earlier, and had been delayed due to GO Transit taking over the old bus terminal in January 1979, and the planning for the failed ICTS project. Now all work was halted as of January 6, 1983
The province called for submissions from the public in May for station site selection. The design contract for the GO-ALRT line was awarded to the provincially owned UTDC on June 2, 1983 for the design of guideways, trackwork, electronic controls and vehicles. Public Information centres for the GO ALRT project happened on June 23 & June 28 at Hamilton Place & the Royal Connaught Hotel respectively.
Announcement of GO-ALRT study. From the May 2, 1983 Hamilton Spectator, pg A9
June was also the month in which the first opposition to the project began to arise. Initial concerns were against the idea of forcing people to switch trains in Oakville instead of simply extending the existing GO trains to Hamilton, and the sole sourcing of contracts to UTDC.
On December 6 regional councillors were briefed that based on the earlier public information centres and the public submissions, the previous 14 options had been reduced down to seven separate routes into Hamilton with five possible termini. Of these, these had been whittled down to three:
The other four had been abandoned because of reasons such as high cost, long construction times, and limited expansion capacity
Map of 7 GO-ALRT options. From the January 21, 1984 Hamilton Spectator, pg A8
These new routes were presented to the public at a pair of information sessions on December 14 & 15 at the Holiday Inn at 150 King St. By January 1984 the estimated cost of the Hamilton-Oakville section of GO-ALRT had increased to $420 million dollars.
On February 25, 1984, the province announced the results of the route analysis. The technical advisory committee's preferred route was the Woodbine-York route, with a new station at James and Wilson. A second station would be built next to Hwy 403 in Westdale, next to Macklin Rd.
Map of preferred route. From the February 25, 1984 Hamilton Spectator, pg A6
Artist's impression of the elevated track on York Blvd. From the March 26, 1984 Hamilton Spectator, pg A7
Opposition to the proposed route appeared instantly, with Mayor Bob Morrow, 8 of the city aldermen, and several advisory groups speaking out against the proposal. Most of the opposition centered around the elevated track on York Blvd and the impact to several adjacent buildings, such as Philpott Church and John A. Macdonald High School. Another issue was the risk of methane gas generated from the former landfill underneath Kay Drage park collecting in station buildings resulting in asphyxiation or explosion.
Transport minister James Snow would go on to say that the final decision of the route would be made by the province, prompting a backlash from the city that resulted in Premier Bill Davis stating on March 9 that the province would not force the line on the city.
As a result of the local opposition, on March 4 Hamilton-Wentworth regional council voted to re-examine the CNR-Ferguson Avenue option. This plan was supported by a community meeting held by the chamber of commerce on March 19. At a regional council meeting on March 29, 47 separate groups submitted briefs on the GO-ALRT project (some of these briefs opposed one plan and supported another, and so were counted twice). 21 of the briefs opposed the Woodbine-York proposal, with 11 supporting it. 15 briefs supported the CN-Ferguson proposal, with 3 against it. 8 supported using the TH&B station, and 7 were opposed to the entire GO-ALRT project.
On May 11 the Region of Hamiton-Wentworth released their technical report, confirming the province's findings and going with the Woodbine-York option.
On May 14 the province decided to postpone work on the western GO-ALRT for a year, with minister Snow saying that the opposition to the Hamilton route and terminus had to be sorted out before work could proceed. At the same time the funds for the eastern section of the GO-ALRT were announced. This prompted another backlash from council, with accusations that the province was trying to force the council into making a hasty decision.
Over time some of initial opposition to the Woodbine-York route ended. On May 22 the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce announced that they were now supporting the route, having previously backed the Ferguson Ave route. On June 8 the Hamilton board of Education reversed their earlier opposition as they no longer feared damage to John A. Macdonald High School.
On June 1 the Hamilton-Wentworth regional Transit Committee deadlocked 4-4 over whether or not to support the Woodbine-York option. Hamilton city council approved the Woodbine-York option on June 12 on a 9-8 vote. Several members of council later stated that they voted in favour because of comments made by Transport Minister Snow that suggested that the Woodbine York option was the only option, and rejection would result in no GO-ALRT service to Hamilton. A request was made to the province to extend the tunnel as far as Queen St. This was followed by a 17-10 vote in favour of the Wodbine-York route by Hamilton Wentworth Council on June 20.
However further funding issues had been revealed by the province on June 14, with the announcement that construction on the western section of the GO ALRT may have to be delayed to a 1994 opening date. At least a single piece of GO ALRT infrastructure was funded in 1984 in the western section, with the announcement of an underpass to be built at Third Line in Oakville on October 17. This was expanded on and became the site of the official ground breaking ceremony for the western section on December 10, 1984.
For the entire life of the project, Ontario Transportation minister James Snow had been the driving force behind GO-ALRT. On February 8 1985, he stepped down. Without his cheerleading it wasn't long before the project started to operate on shaky ground.
On February 21, 1985 Premier Miller broke with 2 1/2 years of provincial plans by announcing that the province was willing to consider using regular GO trains west of Oakville instead of the electric GO-ALRT equipment. This was followed by a request for a report confirming the suitability or lack of for using conventional GO trains on March 7.
On March 12 Hamilton City Council voted to revoke their previous GO-ALRT approval, instead approving the use of existing GO trains. On March 26 Hamilton-Wentworth Regional council voted not to support the City of Hamilton's decision, instead saying only that they hoped the province would expedite the study. This request was repeated at the April 2 meeting.
Ultimately what ended the GO-ALRT project was political change. The May 2 1985 provincial election gave Miller's Progressive Conservatives a minority government, but and the opposition Liberals and NDP signed an agreement of support and passed a vote of no confidence, and the Liberals took over on June 26.
But before this happened, the Ontario government cancelled the use of GO-ALRT technology on the lakeshore line on June 10, stating that new federal legislation giving commuter rail greater access rights to private railway lines made GO-ALRT unnecessary.
On October 31, 1985, the Ontario liberal government announced that they would not be extending regular GO train service to Hamilton, instead only as far as Burlington by 1988.
Although never built, there were long term effects on Hamilton from GO-ALRT. The need to replace the Hamilton bus terminal at Rebecca and John still existed, and the idea of using the abandoned TH&B station as a downtown transit hub had been well planted. These two would come together in the next decade with the purchase of the TH&B station by the province and its renovation into the Hamilton GO Centre in the mid 1990s.
Regular GO train service would finally reach Hamilton starting on August 7, 2021, using West Harbour GO station.
GO-ALRT program: Hamilton project: Information report related to public issues and concerns
Feedback Document on the GO-ALRT Public Forum, Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
Hamilton Spectator
Stewart, Bruce "Full Service in Four Years: It's all GO for city" October 7, 1982, pg A1
Johnston, Bill "Most everyone seems happy to GO" October 7, 1982, pg A7
Stewart, Bruce "This train probably won't have drivers" October 8, 1982, pg A1
Johnston, Bill "Four Options for GO route; CNR, TH&B are best" October 8, 1982, pg A7
"Final route up to city, region" October 8, 1982, pg A11
"Others likely to supply steel" October 8, 1982, pg A11
"Reaction warm, with a few doubts expressed" October 8, 1982, pg A11
Johnston, Bill "Bus Terminal plans stalled" January 7, 1983, pg A1
"Short delay okay, but mayor still wants new bus terminal" January 8, 1983, pg A7
Sicoli, Florence "Advisory group misses GO train to Hamilton" April 5, 1983, pg A10
Stewart, Bruce "Everything is GO for train service" June 2, 1983, pg A7
"GO Transit extension plan 'absolute lunacy, says MPP" June 14, 1983, pg A7
"GO-ALRT system is still meeting some opposition" July 7, 1983, pg A10
Mayers, Adam "GO terminal would be hub of downtown" September 28, 1983, pg A7
Cox, Christine "GO link hitting work on depot says transit boss" October 7, 1983, pg A10
Wilson, Paul "GO-ALRT trains will 'always be on time' October 18, 1983, pg A11
"No guarantees of GO-train funding: Snow" October 25, 1983, pg A10
"Delay could derail GO system" November 2, 1983, pg A10
"The right track? (1) Toward a vague future" November 12, 1983, pg E4
"The right track? (2) Priority vs. convenience" November 14, 1983, pg A6
MacPhail, Wayne "Elevated transit may rise again, councillors fear" December 7, 1983, pg A7
Stewart, Bruce "Snow wants public input in GO-ALRT" December 9, 1983, pg A7
"What is ALRT system anyway?" December 13, 1983, pg A8
MacPhail, Wayne "Open houses to probe new transit plan" December 13, 1983, pg A8
Stewart, Bruce "Get GOing on plan for transit: Dean" January 19, 1984, pg A7
Johnston, Bill & MacPhail, Wayne "The $450 million train to Hamilton; Where will GO go when it comes to town?" January 21, 1984, pg A1
Johnston, Bill & MacPhail, Wayne "Only three of seven routes 'realistic'" January 21, 1984, pg A8
"GO-ALRT meeting planned" January 24, 1984, pg A7
"Don't GO near schools: trustees" February 3, 1984, pg A10
"Public Forum on GO-ALRT system" February 9, 1984, pg A7
Lake, Jeff "GO-ALRT route should be known in three weeks" February 10, 1984, pg A7
MacPhail, Wayne "Citizen groups shocked; GO route for York?" February 25, 1984, pg A1
Davie, Michael "Only one way to GO, report says" February 25, 1984, pg A6
"28 homes face elimination" February 25, 1984, pg A6
"Six alternative routes discarded" February 25, 1984, pg A6
"GO plan a shock to area residents" February 27, 1984, pg A5
Johnston, Bill "Methane gas warning issued 3 years ago" February 27, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "'Why York Boulevard?' officials ask" February 27, 1984, pg A7
Stewart, Bruce "Province will choose final route: Snow" February 28, 1984, pg A1
Johnston, Bill "York GO route not unanimous choice of local staff" February 28, 1984, pg A7
Johnston, Bill "Opposition grows to GO-ALRT route" February 29, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "Only 6 of 28 'can live with' proposal" February 29, 1984, pg A7
"Did he or didn't he?" February 29, 1984, pg A7
Johnston, Bill "City is misunderstood by GO planners, group says" March 2, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "GO-ALRT on Ferguson will be re-studied" March 7, 1984, pg A5
Stewart, Bruce "Outcry needed to oppose GO-ALRT route: MPPs" March 8, 1984, pg A7
"School board says no to GO-ALRT" March 9, 1984, pg A5
Ross, James "GO-ALRT won't be forced -Davis" March 10, 1984, pg A6
"Support continues for GO-ALRT on Ferguson" March 20, 1984, pg A5
"Dean offers assistance" March 22, 1984, pg A7
Robbins, Dana "Objections raised at NO-ALRT meeting" March 22, 1984, pg A7
"Proponents wouldn't live near transit line" March 26, 1984, pg A5
"Homeowners' future unknown for now" March 26, 1984, pg A5
Johnston, Bill "GO-ALRT concept remains a question" March 26, 1984, pg A5
Johnston, Bill "A difference of opinion; Council briefs show selling of GO will be a Snow job" March 28, 1984, pg A7
Johnston, Bill "Opponents differ on best route for rapid transit" March 30, 1984, pg A7
"Underground the only way to GO, group says" April 12, 1984, pg A8
"Queen's Park given GO-ALRT petition" April 14, 1984, pg A7
"GO-ALRT deadline" April 18, 1984, pg A10
"Decision near on GO-ALRT" May 11, 1984, pg A8
Mayers, Adam "York is the way to GO: Study" May 12, 1984, pg A6
"Impact on some properties severe, report indicates" May 12, 1984, pg A6
"GO delay costing us jobs: Davison" May 15, 1984, pg A1
Davie, Michael "Don't rush us on GO plan, angry region tells Snow" May 16, 1984, pg A1
"City chamber switches tracks on GO-ALRT" May 23, 1984, pg A5
Stewart, Bruce "It's York or no GO, Snow hints" May 31, 1984, pg A1
Davie, Michael "Deadlock on first round for York GO" June 1, 1984, pg A1
"More support for GO route" June 1, 1984, pg A10
Davie, Michael "No decision on GO-ALRT route" June 2, 1984, pg A6
"School officials switch tracks on GO" June 8, 1984, pg A7
"Is James Snow really allowing us any options?" June 11, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael & Pettapiece, Mike "GO-ALRT vote will be close, poll predicts" June 11, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "It's GO for York route in 9-8 vote" June 13, 1984, pg A1
Stewart, Bruce "GO may not come until 1994" June 14, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "Fight against York route has only begun, vows Kiss" June 14, 1984, pg A7
Davie, Michael "It's GO for York, weary council rules" June 20, 1984, pg A1
"Province won't forget GO-ALRT promises Dean" July 4, 1984, pg A10
Stewart, Bruce "Halton section of GO-ALRT could begin later this year" October 17, 1984, pg A8
Stewart, Bruce "GO-ALRT gets $6m go-ahead" October 18, 1984, pg A7
Howard, Robert "GO-ALRT western extension begins construction Monday" December 7, 1984, pg A7
Crandall, Larry "Handicapped protest lack of access to GO-ALRT system" December 11, 1984, pg A7
Stewart, Bruce "The involved politician" February 18, 1985, pg A8
Stewart, Bruce "Miller may switch GO trains" February 22, 1985, pg A1
Stewart, Bruce "Switching GO-Transit plans would be costly, warns official" February 23, 1985, pg A1
"Miller queried on GO-ALRT comments" March 4, 1985, pg A7
Stewart, Bruce "Miller to explore transit option" March 7, 1985, pg A6
Rogers, Jerry "City switches track on route for GO" March 13, 1985, pg A1
MacPhail, Wayne "CN keen for commuter rail talks" March 13, 1985, pg A7
"Two months for GO decision" March 20, 1985, pg A7
"We will get GO, one way or the other" March 21, 1985, pg A6
Hallman, Mark "Region sticks with GO-ALRT decision" March 27, 1985, pg A6
"Speed up on GO, Miller asked" April 3, 1985, pg A7
Davie, Michael "PCs woo Hamilton from deathbed; Vow to hold new talks on GO-ALRT 'quite a switch'" June 5, 1985, pg A1
Davie, Michael & Sicoli, Florence "Mayor vows to get best GO deal for city" June 11, 1985, pg A1
Davie, Michael "Back to heavy rails; Province alters GO-ALRT plans" June 11, 1985, pg A6
Hallman, Mark "Province considering GO options to downtown" August 1, 1985, pg A6
Hallman, Mark "No GO for city; Nothing for Hamilton in province's transit plan" October 31, 1985, pg A1
Porter, Brian & Hallman, Mark & Crandall, Larry "Burlington gets GO trains but Hamilton gets only talk" November 1, 1985, pg A1
