Transportation in Hamilton Ontario

The Mega City-State of Hamilton Ontario connects with its constituent provinces and neighbouring countries by land, sea and air links. These transportation networks are important for moving people, shipping products and keeping the wheels of industry greased.

Political economy

Transportation is a responsibility shared by all three levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal. Rail travel is most important to the economy, both for shipping and commuting. The federal government's Infrastructure Ministry sets the track, rolling stock and safety standards for all railways, and operates all the high-speed lines and most of the intercity ones.

Some provincial governments operate some of the intercity railways as domestic daily commuter services. Hamilton province even operates a flattened and inverted “U” spur in Lower Hamilton, grafted to Westdale and East Hamilton Stations on the Lower Line which, which is used exclusively for interprovincial urban light rail commuting. Several Hamilton Province municipalities, Stoney Creek City and Dundas Town operate trams or street railways as part of their Transit Service. Street railways run on a different gauge than their larger counterparts and hence are not connected to the main lines or spurs.

The federal government through its Infrastructure Ministry operates all highways designed to connect with foreign countries, and shares costs for some very busy highways serving domestic traffic. The provincial governments' Highways Departments (some with slightly varying names) are solely or jointly responsible for the remainder of the highways. The municipal governments operate roads designed for purely local traffic and public buslines as well, typically under the names Road Service and Transit Service.

The federal government's Infrastructure Ministry is solely responsible for regulating water transport and operates the commercial seaport at Port Hamilton. The nation relies on this port to ship in raw goods for consumption and finishing, and ship out manufactured goods; without it, large scale international trade would evaporate.

The federal government's Defence Ministry operates the main naval base at Port Hamilton and the Active Naval Militia ones elsewhere. Dundas Province, Hamilton Province and Stoney Creek Province operate their respective minor ports. Inland waters are regulated and operated by the federal government as part of the Environment Ministry, but often with some input, burdensharing and profit splitting with the relevant provincial governments.

The federal government alone operates the Hamilton Ontario International Airport at Mount Hope, its civil aviation section by the Infrastructure Ministry and its military aviation section by the Defence Ministry. The few small airfields are regulated by the Infrastructure Ministry but operated by private businesses, occasionally with subsidy from the Air Militia or the provinces in which they are located.

Rail

By volume of passengers and cargo shipped per steel ingot, rail is by far the most efficient means to travel. This is true even with the existence of the Escarpment, which has only three rail crossings: between East Hamilton and Upper Hamilton East stations; between Dundas Main and Ancaster North stations; and between the junction of the Aldershot and Carlisle lines, and Waterdown station.

There are seven major routes, or lines, in the nation and they are named after their destination radiating outward from the centre of Hamilton Ontario. The busiest connecting stations are at Hamilton Main, Upper Hamilton East, Ancaster Main and Dundas Main. Listed in declining order of passenger service are the seven lines:

1. Carlisle Line: Hamilton Main - Hamilton West - Waterdown - Carlisle - [foreign points northwest]
2. Aldershot Line: Hamilton Main - Hamilton West - [Aldershot and other foreign points north]
3. Sheffield Line: Sheffield - Rockton - Ancaster Main - [Jerseyville, Mount Hope and Dundas Spurs; Upper, Sheffield Lines]
4. Lower Line (i.e., below Escarpment not south): Dundas Main - Westdale - Hamilton West - Hamilton Main - Hamilton East - East Hamilton - Stoney Creek West - Stoney Creek Main - Stoney Creek East - Winona - [foreign points east]
5. Upper Line (i.e., above Escarpment not north): [Sheffield Line; Jerseyville, Dundas, Mount Hope Spurs] - Ancaster Main - Mount Hamilton - Upper Hamilton West - Upper Hamilton East - Upper Stoney Creek - [foreign points east]
6. Jerseyville Line (not Spur): [Lower, Aldershot, Carlisle, Binbrook Line] - Hamilton Main - Upper Hamilton East - [Upper Line] - Mount Hope - Jerseyville - [foreign points southwest or Ancaster South]
7. Binbrook Line: Hamilton Main - Upper Hamilton East - Binbrook - [foreign points southeast]

There are six minor routes or spurs -- discounting privately owned and operated one in industrial and farming areas -- in the nation. They are named after minor destination to which a spur connects a major station. Listed in declining order of passenger service are the six spurs:

1. Dundas Spur: [Carlisle, Aldershot Lines] - Dundas North - Dundas Centre - Dundas Main - [Ancaster Spur]
2. Ancaster Spur: Dundas Main - Ancaster North - Ancaster Main [Upper Line, Airport Spur] - Ancaster South
3. Port Hamilton Spur: Port Hamilton - Hamilton North - Hamilton Main - [Carlisle, Aldershot, Lower, Mount Hope Lines]
4. Mount Hope Spur: Mount Hope - Ancaster Main
5. Lynden Spur: Lynden - Jerseyville
6. Jerseyville Spur (not Line): [Jerseyville, Airport, Dundas Spurs; Sheffield, Upper Lines] - Ancaster Main - Ancaster South - Jerseyville - [Jerseyville Line to foreign points southwest or to East Hamilton]

The popular Marsh Circus is neither a separate line nor spur, but rather combines elements of three of them in a single fluid motion. It runs cockwise from Hamilton Main - Hamilton West - Westdale - Dundas Main - Dundas Centre - Dundas North - Hamilton Main.

Highspeed express trains depart from Hamilton Main and operate on doubled tracks on the Aldershot (to Halton), Lower (to Niagara) and Binbrook (to Haldimand) Lines. A highspeed semi-express train departs Hamilton Main with stops at Mount Hope, Ancaster Main and foreign Waterloo.

Highways

Highways are less efficient for bulk movements of people and goods, but they are necessary for local travel and to connect places which are not economically viable for rail travel. By inspecting a highway prefix and number, one can determine which level(s) of government pay(s) its upkeep, what points of the compass it is generally oriented to and often which province it is located in.

The federal government pays for the building and upkeep of F-series highways, which have only two numbers after them (including leading zeroes). Even numbers indicate generally east-west highways, those 2 through 50 being found north of the main (i.e., eastern) line of the Escarpment and those 52 through 98 south. Odd numbers indicate generally north-south highways, those 1 through 49 west of the Dundas-Hamilton border and those 51 through 99 east.

The provincial government pays for the building and upkeep of P-series highways, which have three numbers after them. Especially in heavily populated areas, the same highway may be signed in both series indicating the costs are shared by the levels of government. The number system is maintained for P-series highways, but the number in the hundred column is assigned accordingly:

• 1 - Hamilton Province
• 2 - Ancaster Province
• 3 - Dundas Province
• 4 - Stoney Creek Province
• 5 - Flamborough Province
• 6 - Glanbrook Province

With a nod to irredentists, 7 is reserved for Aldershot Province northeast of Dundas Province and 8 for Beverly Province in southwest Flamborough and incorporating Clyde. Some highways have official or widely used names

Water

Goods are most commonly shipped by water, and the main civil seaport (and its attached naval base) is located at Port Hamilton in Hamilton Harbour. The container section of the port ships manufactured goods in and out using steel containers made in various internationally agreed dimensions. Large cranes shift these intermodal containers from ships to waiting railcar chassis or trucking beds without the need to repack them.

The bulk section of the port brings in raw goods like oil, specialty grains, coal and iron ore which are processed into petroleum, milled grains and steel for local consumption or further export. It sends out raw goods like Glanbrook's maize or Flamborough's milk, and semi-finished goods like Hamilton City's iron pellets or Dundas' woodchips.

People take international cruises originating from Port Hamilton. Small pleasure craft or more modest excursions originate from various fairweather small craft harbours at the mouth of Dundas Marsh, on the leeside of the Isthmus, at the mouth of Stoney Creek and northwest of Winona. For those with even fainter hearts, there are the large reserviors at Mountsberg, Valens, Christie, Jerseyville and Niapenco in which to paddle.

Air

Air is the most expensive, most dangerous (fatalities by time in transit), most inefficient in infrastructure and most environmentally unfriendly way to travel, so Hamilton Ontario frowns upon it. Nevertheless, air travel is vital to the nation's connection to the outside world and its national defence.

The lone international airport is located at Mount Hope in rural Glanbrook Province. The airport is linked by high-speed trains to the capital of Hamilton City, and by regular trains to all the major and minor urban areas of the country. No internal air travel is conducted since the country is so small to begin with.

Small provincial airports are located in Carlisle, Port Hamilton, Winona and Rockton. These are frequented by business people with expensive hobbies or members of the Air Militia on official or unofficial training exercises.