Public Transit Tourism: The Waterfront Shuttle

by Dawn Matheson
June 30th, 2009

(Photo courtesy of Hamilton Street Railway)

Hamilton's new replica trolleys take passengers from urban scenery to the waterfront in no time

Hamilton has pulled out all the stops (well, five) on a shuttle connecting the city’s heart to its harbourfront. At $550,000 a pop, new replica trolleys (brass bell, wooden slat seats) are set to impress riders of all ages.

Hop on at Jackson Square where a quilt of characters congregates—old Italians at Gore Park, jocks at Copps Coliseum, artists at the Art Gallery of Hamilton—for the 13-minute ride from urban grit to waterfront paradise. Look down McNab Street at G.S. Dunn Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of dry mustard (impetus for this month’s Mustard Festival), and at the heritage Lister Block. Both lead into the new art district of historic James Street North where Hamilton Artists Inc. has taken over Jerry’s Man Shop, a 90-year resident, and Christ’s Church Cathedral, with its cutting-edge music shows and outdoor Maker’s Market, draws crowds.

The splendid 1930s LIUNA Station just off of Strachan (some X-Men scenes were shot here) features rows of workers’ cottages butting up against Victorian mansions.

The revived waterfront is perhaps a surprise to many familiar with the city’s heavy industrial harbour. Thursday night’s marshmallow roast and songs around the campfire at Parks Canada Discovery Centre will drown out the urban roar at your back.

Cost

Free, from June 22 – Sept. 1, on the half hour (hamilton.ca/hsr)

Distance

3.5 kms

Best Time to People Watch

The second Friday night of every month for the James North Art Crawl (jamesstreetnorth.ca)

Top Stop

The waterfront, where you can in-line skate and ride the 12-passenger Hamiltonian tour boat to see the Stelco plant up close.

Originally published in the August 2008 issue of up! magazine, this story was part of a larger article profiling 10 iconic public transit routes that trace the souls of their cities. Check out more fantastic routes in Public Transit Tourism.

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