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Description
Thinking about it over the last couple of months, my original proposal for a light rapid transit system for Niagara Region seems far too ambitious. Given the diversification of population and how spread out the region's urban areas are in comparison to Hamilton, Waterloo Region or especially Toronto, the idea of having a multi-line LRT network just wouldn't go.

So I came up with this modest proposal.

With mostly existing infrastructure, a single LRT network with three main branch lines connecting all the major cities in the region (Saint Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Thorold and Fort Erie) could be established; other than reconnecting the CPR Stevensville Spur to the CNR Stamford Subdivision to allow a separate LRT track to Fort Erie and reopening the centre track through the Townline Tunnel corridor alongside the CPR Hamilton Subdivision, the route is easily established. Since Canadian Pacific and GIO Rail operate quite infrequently on the Harbour Line, the Canal Line, the Montrose Subdivision and the Stevensville Spur, there should be no major scheduling issues depending on actual ridership amounts.

Even more so, given the obstacle of the Welland Canal, there's no need to worry about cross-canal issues since the Townline Tunnel effectively bypasses any shipping.

Thus, we would have effectively three paired "lines" of service as follows:

Line 1 (inbound)/Line 5 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Fallsview
This would be the main line connecting the three largest cities in Niagara Region. Starting from Saint Catharines GO, Line 5 would head east on the CNR Grimsby Subdivision before turning onto the GIO Canal Line at Merritton GO, heading south to Welland. Once past the Rose City, the line would loop through the GIO Feeder Spur onto the new track parallel to the CPR Hamilton Subdivision for the trip under the Welland Canal. Once past Doans Ridge station, the line would link into the CPR Montrose Subdivision for the final run to Fallsview station.

This line has an estimated base run time of seventy minutes minus layovers at stops. I could easily see this be marked up to ninety minutes while still guaranteeing a 60 kp/h speed in rural areas and 50 kp/h speed in urban areas.

The following stops would be used:

Saint Catharines GO (92 Great Western Street, Saint Catharines): Transfer to GO Lakeshore West (Niagara Falls-Toronto Union), VIA Maple Leaf (New York Penn-Toronto Union), NRT Routes 10/15 (Casablanca GO-Saint Catharines Bus Terminal [my proposal; see previous post]) and SCT Routes 315/415 (West Saint Catharines).
Glenridge (128 Glenridge Avenue, Saint Catharines): Transfer to SCT Routes 310/410 (Glenridge-Pen Centre) and 316/416 (Glenridge-Brock University).
Merritton GO (370 Merritt Street, Saint Catharines): Transfer to GO Lakeshore West (Niagara Falls-Toronto Union), SCT Routes 304/404 (Oakdale-Pen Centre), 311 (Hartzel Road) and 318/418 (Secord Woods).
Flight Locks (Welland Canals Parkway at Lock 5, Thorold): No local transit routes; this could be used as a stop for Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority personnel who work at the nearby headquarters or on the canal.
Thorold (52 Chapel Street South, Thorold): No local transit routes, but SCT 320/420 (Thorold-Pen Centre) could be re-routed via Lynden Street East, Chapel Street South and Clairmont Street back to Ormond Street to allow transfers.
Fox Run (1720 Canborough Road, Thorold): No local transit routes, but I have an idea for a mid-peninsula line from Morrison-Dorchester into Pelham along old Highway 20 which could link things up.
Hunters Pointe (10 Daimler Parkway, Welland): No local transit routes, but WT Route 108 (Woodlawn Road) and NRT Routes 60A/65A (Niagara College Welland-Niagara Falls) could be re-routed to link up; also, WT Hunters Pointe Transcab serves this area.
Welland (300 East Main Street, Welland): Transfer to NRT Routes 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls) and WT Routes 505 (Lincoln-Wellington) and 508 (Woodlawn).
Rose City (701 Ontario Road, Welland): Transfer to WT Route 506 (Ontario).
Dain City (1 Saint Clair Drive, Welland): No local transit routes, but once the Forks Road Bridge over the Welland Recreational Waterway is rebuilt, NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link) could be re-routed; also, WT Dain City Transcab serves this area).
Flatwater (155 Townline Tunnel Road, Welland): Transfer to NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link).
Doans Ridge (745 Townline Tunnel Road, Welland): No local transit routes, but WT Cooks Mills Transcab serves this area. In addition, I have an idea for a direct Welland-Fort Erie NRT bus link which can pass through this area.
Netherby (9604 Netherby Road, Niagara Falls): No local transit routes. My idea for a Welland-Fort Erie NRT bus will definitely come through here.
Schisler (9481 Schisler Road, Niagara Falls): Transfer to NRT Route 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls).
Montrose (9148 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls): Transfer to NRT Routes 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls) and Route 22 (Fort Erie Link).
Fallsview (6967 Portage Road, Niagara Falls): No local transit routes, but NFT Routes 101 (Niagara Square-Main/Ferry), 106 (Chippawa-Main/Ferry) and 112 (Niagara Square-Chippawa) could be re-routed via Livingstone Street and Fallsview Boulevard to connect to the terminal; weekend NFT Route 206 (Chippawa-Main/Ferry) can likewise be re-routed. The WEGO Blue Line (Scotiabank Centre) stops at the Marriott Hotel (where I would propose the NFT lines be re-routed). In addition, the Falls Incline Railway at the north end of the station could be used to access the WEGO Table Rock Centre Station, with access to the WEGO Blue, Red (Lundy's Lane) and Green (Queenston/Niagara-on-the-Lake) lines.

Line 2 (inbound)/Line 6 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Fort Erie
This is the longest of the proposed Niagara LRT spurs, since it has to reach out all the way to the southeastern end of the peninsula to acess the main hubs. Because of that, the travel time is estimated at eighty minutes minus layovers; I would see this be a bi-hourly service at the least, which could be enhanced to 90 minutes if need be.

Atop sharing all Line 1/5 stations from Saint Catharines GO to Doans Ridge, we now add:

Schihl (4365 Schihl Road, Port Colborne): No local transit routes, but my proposed Welland/Fort Erie NRT bus line could divert here.
Stevensville (2679 Stevensville Road, Fort Erie): Transfer to FET Route 770 (North Red Line).
Bowen (2080 Pettit Road, Fort Erie): No direct transit links, but FET Route 770 (North Red Line) and NRT Route 22 (Fort Erie Link) could be rerouted along Bowen Road to Pettit Road to permit transfers, then proceed south on Pettit Road to continue their journey to the Fort Erie Municipal Centre.
Fort Erie (520 Central Avenue, Fort Erie): Transfer to FET Route 750 (East Blue Line) and 751 (East Green Line).

Line 3 (inbound)/Line 7 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Port Colborne
Ironically the fastest of the proposed routes, this is a straight line down the western bank of the Welland Canal to Port Colborne. Travel time without layovers would be fifty minutes; easily enhanced to an hour one-way with stops at the major stations.

Atop sharing all Line 1/5 and 2/6 stations from Saint Catharines GO to Dain City, we add:

Humberstone (190 Main Street West, Port Colborne): Transfer to PCT Route 701 (East Community). Also, if the temporary southbound re-routing (as of summer 2021) of NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link) via Highway 140 to Port Colborne is maintained, that route could allow transfers here as well.
Port Colborne (43 Park Street, Port Colborne): Transfer to PCT Route 702 (West Community) and NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link).

INDEX

FET - Fort Erie Transit
NFT - Niagara Falls Transit
NRT - Niagara Region Transit
SCT - Saint Catharines Transit
WT - Welland Transit

Description
Thinking about it over the last couple of months, my original proposal for a light rapid transit system for Niagara Region seems far too ambitious. Given the diversification of population and how spread out the region's urban areas are in comparison to Hamilton, Waterloo Region or especially Toronto, the idea of having a multi-line LRT network just wouldn't go.

So I came up with this modest proposal.

With mostly existing infrastructure, a single LRT network with three main branch lines connecting all the major cities in the region (Saint Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Thorold and Fort Erie) could be established; other than reconnecting the CPR Stevensville Spur to the CNR Stamford Subdivision to allow a separate LRT track to Fort Erie and reopening the centre track through the Townline Tunnel corridor alongside the CPR Hamilton Subdivision, the route is easily established. Since Canadian Pacific and GIO Rail operate quite infrequently on the Harbour Line, the Canal Line, the Montrose Subdivision and the Stevensville Spur, there should be no major scheduling issues depending on actual ridership amounts.

Even more so, given the obstacle of the Welland Canal, there's no need to worry about cross-canal issues since the Townline Tunnel effectively bypasses any shipping.

Thus, we would have effectively three paired "lines" of service as follows:

Line 1 (inbound)/Line 5 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Fallsview
This would be the main line connecting the three largest cities in Niagara Region. Starting from Saint Catharines GO, Line 5 would head east on the CNR Grimsby Subdivision before turning onto the GIO Canal Line at Merritton GO, heading south to Welland. Once past the Rose City, the line would loop through the GIO Feeder Spur onto the new track parallel to the CPR Hamilton Subdivision for the trip under the Welland Canal. Once past Doans Ridge station, the line would link into the CPR Montrose Subdivision for the final run to Fallsview station.

This line has an estimated base run time of seventy minutes minus layovers at stops. I could easily see this be marked up to ninety minutes while still guaranteeing a 60 kp/h speed in rural areas and 50 kp/h speed in urban areas.

The following stops would be used:

Saint Catharines GO (92 Great Western Street, Saint Catharines): Transfer to GO Lakeshore West (Niagara Falls-Toronto Union), VIA Maple Leaf (New York Penn-Toronto Union), NRT Routes 10/15 (Casablanca GO-Saint Catharines Bus Terminal [my proposal; see previous post]) and SCT Routes 315/415 (West Saint Catharines).
Glenridge (128 Glenridge Avenue, Saint Catharines): Transfer to SCT Routes 310/410 (Glenridge-Pen Centre) and 316/416 (Glenridge-Brock University).
Merritton GO (370 Merritt Street, Saint Catharines): Transfer to GO Lakeshore West (Niagara Falls-Toronto Union), SCT Routes 304/404 (Oakdale-Pen Centre), 311 (Hartzel Road) and 318/418 (Secord Woods).
Flight Locks (Welland Canals Parkway at Lock 5, Thorold): No local transit routes; this could be used as a stop for Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority personnel who work at the nearby headquarters or on the canal.
Thorold (52 Chapel Street South, Thorold): No local transit routes, but SCT 320/420 (Thorold-Pen Centre) could be re-routed via Lynden Street East, Chapel Street South and Clairmont Street back to Ormond Street to allow transfers.
Fox Run (1720 Canborough Road, Thorold): No local transit routes, but I have an idea for a mid-peninsula line from Morrison-Dorchester into Pelham along old Highway 20 which could link things up.
Hunters Pointe (10 Daimler Parkway, Welland): No local transit routes, but WT Route 108 (Woodlawn Road) and NRT Routes 60A/65A (Niagara College Welland-Niagara Falls) could be re-routed to link up; also, WT Hunters Pointe Transcab serves this area.
Welland (300 East Main Street, Welland): Transfer to NRT Routes 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls) and WT Routes 505 (Lincoln-Wellington) and 508 (Woodlawn).
Rose City (701 Ontario Road, Welland): Transfer to WT Route 506 (Ontario).
Dain City (1 Saint Clair Drive, Welland): No local transit routes, but once the Forks Road Bridge over the Welland Recreational Waterway is rebuilt, NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link) could be re-routed; also, WT Dain City Transcab serves this area).
Flatwater (155 Townline Tunnel Road, Welland): Transfer to NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link).
Doans Ridge (745 Townline Tunnel Road, Welland): No local transit routes, but WT Cooks Mills Transcab serves this area. In addition, I have an idea for a direct Welland-Fort Erie NRT bus link which can pass through this area.
Netherby (9604 Netherby Road, Niagara Falls): No local transit routes. My idea for a Welland-Fort Erie NRT bus will definitely come through here.
Schisler (9481 Schisler Road, Niagara Falls): Transfer to NRT Route 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls).
Montrose (9148 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls): Transfer to NRT Routes 60/65 (Welland-Niagara Falls) and Route 22 (Fort Erie Link).
Fallsview (6967 Portage Road, Niagara Falls): No local transit routes, but NFT Routes 101 (Niagara Square-Main/Ferry), 106 (Chippawa-Main/Ferry) and 112 (Niagara Square-Chippawa) could be re-routed via Livingstone Street and Fallsview Boulevard to connect to the terminal; weekend NFT Route 206 (Chippawa-Main/Ferry) can likewise be re-routed. The WEGO Blue Line (Scotiabank Centre) stops at the Marriott Hotel (where I would propose the NFT lines be re-routed). In addition, the Falls Incline Railway at the north end of the station could be used to access the WEGO Table Rock Centre Station, with access to the WEGO Blue, Red (Lundy's Lane) and Green (Queenston/Niagara-on-the-Lake) lines.

Line 2 (inbound)/Line 6 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Fort Erie
This is the longest of the proposed Niagara LRT spurs, since it has to reach out all the way to the southeastern end of the peninsula to acess the main hubs. Because of that, the travel time is estimated at eighty minutes minus layovers; I would see this be a bi-hourly service at the least, which could be enhanced to 90 minutes if need be.

Atop sharing all Line 1/5 stations from Saint Catharines GO to Doans Ridge, we now add:

Schihl (4365 Schihl Road, Port Colborne): No local transit routes, but my proposed Welland/Fort Erie NRT bus line could divert here.
Stevensville (2679 Stevensville Road, Fort Erie): Transfer to FET Route 770 (North Red Line).
Bowen (2080 Pettit Road, Fort Erie): No direct transit links, but FET Route 770 (North Red Line) and NRT Route 22 (Fort Erie Link) could be rerouted along Bowen Road to Pettit Road to permit transfers, then proceed south on Pettit Road to continue their journey to the Fort Erie Municipal Centre.
Fort Erie (520 Central Avenue, Fort Erie): Transfer to FET Route 750 (East Blue Line) and 751 (East Green Line).

Line 3 (inbound)/Line 7 (outbound) Saint Catharines-Welland-Port Colborne
Ironically the fastest of the proposed routes, this is a straight line down the western bank of the Welland Canal to Port Colborne. Travel time without layovers would be fifty minutes; easily enhanced to an hour one-way with stops at the major stations.

Atop sharing all Line 1/5 and 2/6 stations from Saint Catharines GO to Dain City, we add:

Humberstone (190 Main Street West, Port Colborne): Transfer to PCT Route 701 (East Community). Also, if the temporary southbound re-routing (as of summer 2021) of NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link) via Highway 140 to Port Colborne is maintained, that route could allow transfers here as well.
Port Colborne (43 Park Street, Port Colborne): Transfer to PCT Route 702 (West Community) and NRT Route 25 (Port Colborne Link).

INDEX

FET - Fort Erie Transit
NFT - Niagara Falls Transit
NRT - Niagara Region Transit
SCT - Saint Catharines Transit
WT - Welland Transit