Beginning in 2008, city council and Metrolinx, the transit agency responsible for projects across the Toronto and Hamilton areas, developed plans for a new rapid transit system in Hamilton to ease congestion on the city's Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) system.
In September, 2008, a city-commissioned survey found that 94% of Hamiltonians surveyed supported investment in rapid transit with 66% supporting light rail transit (LRT), 8% favouring bus rapid transit (BRT), and 20% endorsing either option.

Hamilton City Council endorsed the BLAST network plan in 2008, which called for 5 rapid transit lines to be constructed across the city.

In 2014, the city's mayoral campaign focused heavily on the light rail issue, with Eisenberger and challenger Brian McHattie taking a position in favour of light rail while candidate Brad Clark opposed the project.
Eisenberger won the race with 39.93%, while McHattie took 20.38%.
Clark, who placed second, received 31.53% of the vote.
Across Hamilton, pro-LRT councillors were elected with the express goal of supporting the project.

In early 2015, activists feared the HSR had abandoned hope the project would be successful, as the agency's new director, Dave Dixon, had submitted for council's approval a request for new express buses totaling $302 million.

Fears were abated in May, 2015, when Premier Kathleen Wynne and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced the provincial government would fund the city's LRT project at 100% and invest in the construction of a new GO Train station in Stoney Creek at Centennial Parkway.

While the initial plan announced by the provincial government was to construct the city's B-Line LRT line with a 'spur' line to the West Harbour GO Station, in 2017, Metrolinx announced the 'spur' would be dropped from the project in favour of express bus service that would feed into the city's existing A-Line express bus line.

During the 2018 Ontario Provincial Election campaign, the Progressive Conservative Party sought to attract the support of anti-LRT advocates by suggesting the party would be open to disbursing the earmarked $1 billion for LRT to the city for use on general infrastructure.
This caused Ward 6 councillor Tom Jackson, Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead, and Ward 12 councillor Lloyd Ferguson to openly discuss changing their votes in favour of LRT if the Progressive Conservatives won the June 7 vote.
Beginning in 2008, city council and Metrolinx, the transit agency responsible for projects across the Toronto and Hamilton areas, developed plans for a new rapid transit system in Hamilton to ease congestion on the city's Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) system. In September, 2008, a city-commissioned survey found that 94% of Hamiltonians surveyed supported investment in rapid transit with 66% supporting light rail transit (LRT), 8% favouring bus rapid transit (BRT), and 20% endorsing either option.
Hamilton City Council endorsed the BLAST network plan in 2008, which called for 5 rapid transit lines to be constructed across the city.
In 2014, the city's mayoral campaign focused heavily on the light rail issue, with Eisenberger and challenger Brian McHattie taking a position in favour of light rail while candidate Brad Clark opposed the project. Eisenberger won the race with 39.93%, while McHattie took 20.38%. Clark, who placed second, received 31.53% of the vote. Across Hamilton, pro-LRT councillors were elected with the express goal of supporting the project.
In early 2015, activists feared the HSR had abandoned hope the project would be successful, as the agency's new director, Dave Dixon, had submitted for council's approval a request for new express buses totaling $302 million.
Fears were abated in May, 2015, when Premier Kathleen Wynne and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced the provincial government would fund the city's LRT project at 100% and invest in the construction of a new GO Train station in Stoney Creek at Centennial Parkway.
While the initial plan announced by the provincial government was to construct the city's B-Line LRT line with a 'spur' line to the West Harbour GO Station, in 2017, Metrolinx announced the 'spur' would be dropped from the project in favour of express bus service that would feed into the city's existing A-Line express bus line.
During the 2018 Ontario Provincial Election campaign, the Progressive Conservative Party sought to attract the support of anti-LRT advocates by suggesting the party would be open to disbursing the earmarked $1 billion for LRT to the city for use on general infrastructure. This caused Ward 6 councillor Tom Jackson, Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead, and Ward 12 councillor Lloyd Ferguson to openly discuss changing their votes in favour of LRT if the Progressive Conservatives won the June 7 vote.
2018 Hamilton, Ontario municipal election