Raise the Hammer

They've publicly released budget data on B-Line if you're paying attention to boring Metrolinx PDF files instead of only reading mainstream media such as TheSpec. With the A-Line spur removed, Metrolinx's B-Line LRT has an $892M budget rather than a full $1B.

From Metrolinx Capital Projects Group Quarterly Report PDF (Feb 2017). The previous quarter PDF had a full $1B before the A-Line BRT announcement, before suddenly falling to $892M (2015 currency, before inflation adjustment) in this linked PDF -- the first Metrolinx Capital Projects Group Quarterly Report released after A-Line stub was removed.

Metrolinx PDF Footnote says: "Hamilton LRT budget has been updated to reflect the recent Treasury Board approval amount and the removal of the ALine. 2015$"

I am satisfied that Metrolinx has been transparent with their budgetary data to me as a taxpayer. There are other documents that break down the spending further when the projects are well under way (e.g. Annual Report showed what was spent on Crosstown LRT construction for 2015-2016 out of its allotment of $5.3B total). I anticipate spending breakdowns of the Hamilton LRT B-Line $892M will begin to happen once Hamilton LRT monies begin to be spent.

To me, I feel this is sufficiently transparent to me, but I wish the media would report more accurately sometimes. I do wish that many city/media sources didn't play FUD with the oft-parroted "BILLION! BILLION!" when the proper data is already disclosed in perfectly fine Metrolinx PDF files. The social/economic benefits of the Hamilton LRT easily justifies the already revealed $892M budget for the B-Line, and yes, I'd like to see it extended to Eastgate sooner than later as everyone else would. As many have said, Metrolinx understandably do need to become more accountable (e.g. construction efficiency tracking of several hundred construction sites). After the earlier bad publicity, they appear to be working towards benchmarking the performance of their construction sites according to Metrolinx documents I am reading.

Either way, there is quite a great deal of information that are found in many Metrolinx documents (custom Google search of Metrolinx documents)

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2017-04-06 20:31:45