Canada’s Ontario Government is set to invest about C$1bn ($808m) for the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) line in the city of Hamilton.
Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne said the province will cover all capital costs of construction of the line, which will help to grow the economy, reduce travel times and connect people to jobs and to other transit systems.
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The new LRT would run from McMaster University, along King Street and Main Street through central Hamilton to Queenston Circle.
It will connect directly to the new West Harbour GO train station, which is expected to open later this year.
Procurement for the new line will start in 2017, with construction scheduled to begin in 2019, while the opening is expected in 2024.
The province will also extend the Lakeshore GO line from downtown Hamilton to a new station at Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek.
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By GlobalDataConstruction on the GO extension is expected to begin in 2017, with completion in 2019.
Wynne said: "Our investment in the Hamilton LRT will help support the exciting revitalisation underway in Hamilton.
"We are making record investments across Ontario in infrastructure projects like this to strengthen our economy and quality of life, and lay the groundwork for future prosperity."
Construction is currently underway to build new West Harbour GO Station that is set to open in time for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.
The government is also allocating funds to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and outside the GTHA based on their relative shares of the population using census data from Statistics Canada.
