It's Time for Hamilton to Have a Night Network

 Hey pals! Hamilton really is a gem: it has great restaurants, cool places to hike, and a lot to do. Although I don't go there nearly as much as I want to, I try to make an effort to go out and hit some of my favourite spots (shout out to Mulberry Coffeehouse!).

One thing I like about Hamilton is how it is relatively easy to get around by bus. While frequencies are not where they should be on a number of routes, especially atop the mountain, service runs decently well, and to around 1am on all routes. One thing the city lacks, however, is overnight service. Considering the state of the transit network, this is a bit surprising. In this blog post, I argue as to why night service in Hamilton is obvious, and what I think a basic network would look like. This expands on a draft map I posted on my Twitter a few months back.

Why Should Hamilton Have Night Service?

Hamilton should have night service simply because the quality of the daytime network justifies extension. Two corridors, the 1 King/10 B-Line and the 2 Barton operate at very high frequencies every day of the week, and the gaps between the last buses of the night and the first of the morning are only around three hours. Especially with the 1/10 corridor being (eventually) upgraded to light-rail, HSR should double down on promoting it as a key corridor.

Additionally, it is important to note that Hamilton is a strong central city. With this comes the fact that the city operates 24 hours a day. Industrial shifts change over at night, there are businesses that run very late, and recreational activities extend past the span of service. Hamilton should respond to this fact by providing a quality night network.

Additionally, GO bus 40 runs throughout the night downtown. It provides local service, but it isn't extensive enough to be used in lieu of a true local route. That said, it provides a convenient link to the rest of the GTHA, including Pearson Airport.

Criteria for a Night Network

In order to provide a guideline for designing a night network, I gave myself the following criteria:

1. Serve as many key destinations as possible;
2. Do not deviate from daytime routes too significantly;
3. Encourage transfer points between routes; and
4. Limit service requirements to twenty (20) buses, noting each route will operate every 30 minutes.

The first two may seem to be in conflict with each other, but Hamilton is pretty well laid-out where both can be achieved. The last point is to make sure the network isn't overkill. If I had no limits on vehicles, I would just say run the whole network overnight. Of course, that isn't possible. In my plan, my vehicle requirement is around 17 to 18 buses, so there are some spares.

My Plan for a Hamilton Night Network

A map of the four routes: Red is N1, blue is N2, green is N27, and orange is N41. Note that segments where route run one direction via one street and the other via a different street are not mapped (i.e. Main/King).

The above map shows my network. I think this is the best possible in terms of coverage that actually reaches key destinations. Each of the four routes directly connects to each other at least once, at some point.

N1 Dundas (Sydenham) <--> Levi Loop

This east-west route duplicates mostly the 1 King/10 B-Line, but also includes portions of routes 5 Delaware and 55 Stoney Creek Central. As this is the corridor that will be upgraded to LRT between McMaster and Eastgate, it makes the most sense for night service. 

This routes serves the following destinations:

• Dundas
• McMaster Children's Hospital
• McMaster University
• Frank Cooke Transit Terminal
• Jackson Square
• Hamilton City Hall
• Gage Park
• Eastgate Square

N2 Hamilton GO Centre <--> Levi Loop

This east-west route greatly duplicates the 2 Barton, with a short section of the 55A Stoney Creek Central and a twisty route downtown. While this route parallels the N1 quite closely, it has its own significant capture area that justifies 6-minute headways throughout the day on weekdays.

This route serves the following destinations:

• Hamilton GO Centre
• Frank Cooke Transit Terminal
• Jackson Square
• Hamilton City Hall
• Hamilton General Hospital
• Tim Hortons Field
• The Centre on Barton
• Mohawk College Stoney Creek Campus

N27 Hamilton Airport <--> Burlington and Gage

This north-south route provides service up the mountain. It duplicates the 27 Upper James and 4 Bayfront, with portions of the 20 A-Line served, with a deviation to Mohawk College. Note that there is no Sunday service presently between Amazon and Hamilton Airport: this would have to be added before night network implementation. (Saturday service just got added, so there's hope!)

This routes serves the following destinations:

• Hamilton Airport
• Amazon Distribution Centre
• Mountain Transit Centre
• Mohawk College
• St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, West 5th Campus
• St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Main Campus
• Hamilton GO Centre
• Jackson Square
• Hamilton City Hall
• Hamilton General Hospital
• West Harbour GO
• Pier 4 and Bayfront Park
• Pier 8
• Industrial Sectors A-D

N41 Meadowlands <--> Burlington Terminal

This extensive route matches the 41 Mohawk via Ottawa closely, with portions of the 4 Bayfront and 11 Parkdale also covered. It does a lot: it is the service across the mountain, as well as north-south east of downtown.

This routes serves the following destinations:

• Meadowlands
• Lime Ridge Mall
• The Centre on Barton
• Industrial Sectors D-H
• Hamilton Beach
• Burlington Beach
• Joseph Brant Hospital, Burlington
• Burlington Terminal, Burlington

This route's last two destinations are in Burlington, providing that city with some overnight service. Eventually, I could see Burlington paying HSR to run the service through Burlington, up either Brant or Guelph's Line.

What is Missing?

As I was limited while designing the network, there are a number of places I missed on my network. A lot of these are industrial areas, especially in Stoney Creek and atop the Mountain. Additionally, I was unable to serve Juravinski Hospital. While the N41 could be extended west to reach Ancaster, I decided not to go down that route because the 16 Ancaster route doesn't run on Sundays, has varying routings depending on time of day, and the 5 Delaware just skirts the area. This would be an obvious eventual expansion.

All this said, I'm very happy with the network I created. I think it successfully completes all my goals, and would improve the city of Hamilton greatly. If Mississauga and Durham Region can have night service, why can't Hamilton?