TRANSPORTATION Final Report Hamilton Street Railway Operational Review Submitted to City of Hamilton/Hamilton Street Railway by IBI Group March 2010 Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................... ES1 Background ES 1 Study Objectives ES 1 Study Scope and Approach ES 2 Key Study Findings ES 2 How is HSR performing compared to peer transit systems? ES 2 What do Stakeholders Say about HSR? ES 3 What is expected of HSR in the future? ES 3 How will HSR get there? ES 4 Are services being operated in a safe and efficient manner? ES 4 Service Plan Characteristics ES 6 Key Recommendations ES 7 Financial Implications ES 9 Overall Conclusions ES 10 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Study Purpose and Objectives 1 1.3 Study Approach 2 1.4 Outline of Report 2 2. Market Assessment ................................................................................ 3 2.1 Demand and Market Analysis 3 Key Observations 3 Key strategies 7 2.2 Results of Stakeholder Consultation 9 MARCH 2010 i. IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT HAMILTON STREET RAILWAY OPERATIONAL REVIEW Table of Contents (continued) 3. Analysis of HSR Services .................................................................... 12 3.1 Results of Service and Rider Surveys 12 Methodology 13 System-wide results 13 3.2 Review and Assessment of Existing Routes and Service Levels 24 Existing service standards 25 Route assessment 26 3.3 Fare Media Utilization Analysis 35 Expansion of Fare Media Survey Results 36 Pass Use Factors (PUF) 38 Transfer Rate 38 Comparison to HSR Internal Data 39 Summary 39 3.4 Peer Review 40 3.5 Review of HSR Organization and Staffing 44 Background 44 Review of Peer System Organization Structures 48 3.6 Marketing and Outreach Audit 51 Summary 60 3.7 Vehicle Maintenance 60 3.8 Infrastructure Assessment 63 Fleet 63 Facilities – Transit Centre 64 Terminals 65 Bus Stops and Shelters 66 4. Update of Five-Year Transit Service Plan .......................................... 69 4.1 Guiding Vision 69 Goals and Objectives 69 4.2 Service and Operations Plan 71 Route Proposals 73 Mainline routes 76 Radial 78 MARCH 2010 ii IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT HAMILTON STREET RAILWAY OPERATIONAL REVIEW Table of Contents (continued) Crosstown 83 Feeder 86 4.3 Transit Priority Measures Plan 90 New Transit Signal Priority Locations 91 Capital Cost – Transit Priority Measures 96 4.4 Infrastructure Plan 96 Transit Vehicles 96 Transit Centre/Garage 97 Terminals 97 Bus Stops and Shelters 97 4.5 Organization and Staffing Plan 98 4.6 Marketing/Corporate Communications Plan 99 Resource Requirements 101 4.7 Financial Plan 101 Funding/Budgeting Approach 102 Current Fare Strategy 103 Proposed Fare Strategy 106 5-Year Operating and Capital Budget 107 5. Conclusions, Recommendations and Implementation Plan .......... 109 5.1 General Conclusions 109 5.2 Recommended Actions 109 5.3 Implementation Plan 111 Appendix A: Route Profiles Appendix B: Route Statistics Appendix C: Service Levels - Existing and Proposed Appendix D: Peer Organization Charts Appendix E: HSR Passenger On-Board Ridership Survey Data Validation MARCH 2010 iii IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT HAMILTON STREET RAILWAY OPERATIONAL REVIEW Table of Contents (continued) List of Exhibits Exhibit ES-1: Proposed High Frequency Corridors (2015 and beyond) ............................. ES 7 Exhibit ES-2: List of Recommended Actions and Response to Over-arching Objectives .. ES 8 Exhibit 3-1: Survey Results Database Structure .................................................................... 13 Exhibit 3-2: Stops with over 1000 weekday boardings ........................................................... 14 Exhibit 3-3: Total weekday boardings..................................................................................... 15 Exhibit 3-4: Transfer Use ........................................................................................................ 17 Exhibit 3-5: Wheelchair Boardings ......................................................................................... 18 Exhibit 3-6: Bicycle Boardings ................................................................................................ 20 Exhibit 3-7: Average Speeds .................................................................................................. 21 Exhibit 3-8: Locations of Operational Delays (table) .............................................................. 22 Exhibit 3-9: Locations of Operational Delays (map) ............................................................... 23 Exhibit 3-10: Transit Service Guidelines (1996) ..................................................................... 25 Exhibit 3-11: Unofficial Service Standard Exceptions (2004) ................................................ 25 Exhibit 3-12: Hours of Service (weekdays) ............................................................................ 27 Exhibit 3-13: Buses per Hour (weekdays, midday) ................................................................ 28 Exhibit 3-14: R/C ratio by route .............................................................................................. 29 Exhibit 3-15: Schedule Adherence ......................................................................................... 31 Exhibit 3-16: Annual Passenger Boardings by Route, FY 2007 ............................................. 32 Exhibit 3-17: Service Productivity (Weekday riders per revenue service hour) ..................... 33 Exhibit 3-18: Service ............................................................................................................... 34 Exhibit 3-19: HSR Base Pass Use Factors (PUFs) by Pass Type ......................................... 36 Exhibit 3-20: Observed Passenger Boardings by Fare Type ................................................ 37 Exhibit 3-21: Boardings by Fare Type, Expanded to Monthly Total ....................................... 37 Exhibit 3-22: Observed Pass Use Factor by Pass Type ........................................................ 38 Exhibit 3-23: Total Observed Revenue Passengers and Transfer Rate ................................ 39 Exhibit 3-24: Comparison of Results to HSR Internal Data .................................................... 39 Exhibit 3-25: Summary of Revenue Trips and Total Boardings, Observed Data ................... 40 Exhibit 3-26: Comparative Characteristics of Selected Canadian Transit Systems ............... 40 Exhibit 3-27: Productivity and Efficiency of HSR and peers ................................................... 41 Exhibit 3-28: Cost and revenue per passenger for HSR and peers ....................................... 42 Exhibit 3-29: Market Penetration of Canadian Transit Systems ............................................. 43 Exhibit 3-30: City of Hamilton Vision Statement ..................................................................... 44 Exhibit 3-31: HSR Organization Structure .............................................................................. 45 Exhibit 3-32: Organization and Staffing – HSR and Peer Systems ........................................ 49 Exhibit 3-33: Resource Utilization - HSR and Peer Systems ................................................. 51 Exhibit 3-34: City of Hamilton/Hamilton Street Railway Public Transit Fleet List ................... 63 Exhibit 3-35: Typical Shelter and Landing Pad Accessibility Designs .................................... 67 Exhibit 4-1: 2015 System Concept ......................................................................................... 72 Exhibit 4-2: Route structure adjustments ............................................................................... 74 Exhibit 4-3: 2015 level adjustments ........................................................................................ 75 Exhibit 4-4: Bus in traffic on King Street at MacNab .............................................................. 92 Exhibit 4-5: Active Signal Priority ............................................................................................ 92 Exhibit 4-6: Bus Stuck behind Cars Exiting Lime Ridge Mall ................................................. 93 Exhibit 4-7: Proposed Bus-only Lane, South Exit at Lime Ridge Mall .................................... 94 Exhibit 4-8: View of Mohawk Road and Upper James Street Intersection ............................. 94 Exhibit 4-9: Lane Shift for Transit Vehicles ............................................................................ 95 Exhibit 4-10: Other TPM locations .......................................................................................... 95 Exhibit 4-11: Dedicated Left Turn Phase for Transit Vehicles ................................................ 96 MARCH 2010 iv IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT HAMILTON STREET RAILWAY OPERATIONAL REVIEW Table of Contents (continued) Exhibit 4-12: HSR Fare Structure – January 1, 2008 ........................................................... 103 Exhibit 4-13: 2010-2014 HSR Operating and Capital Budget .............................................. 108 Exhibit 5-1: List of Recommended Actions ........................................................................... 110 Exhibit 5-2: Implementation Timeline ................................................................................... 111 MARCH 2010 v IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT HAMILTON STREET RAILWAY OPERATIONAL REVIEW Executive Summary Background