Edmonton LRT
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit Service, the system has 29 stations on three lines and of track. Much of the system has a dedicated right-of-way, while in the downtown area, vehicles run underground. As of 2018, it was the seventh busiest light rail transit system in North America, with over 113,000 daily weekday riders.
The ETS started operation of the original LRT line in 1978, expanded by 2010 into the Capital Line, running between Clareview in Edmonton's northeast and Century Park in Edmonton's south end. The first phase of the newer Metro Line started service between the University of Alberta campus and hospital in Edmonton's south-central and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology northwest of downtown Edmonton in 2015, with further expansion to north Edmonton and neighbouring city of St. Albert planned into the future. Construction of the first phase of the Valley Line, from downtown Edmonton to Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton, began in spring 2016, and opened November 4, 2023. Construction on the second phase of the Valley Line, connecting downtown to west Edmonton, began in fall 2021 and is scheduled for completion by 2028.
History
Edmonton's population grew rapidly in the decades after the Second World War, going from 160,000 residents in 1951 to 451,000 in 1976. During the 1960s and early 1970s, city-commissioned studies recommended a number of city-wide transportation systems such as heavy rail transit lines, and freeway networks. The city opted to study LRT as a "balanced" solution; being more cost effective and flexible than heavy rail, but higher-capacity and less expensive in the long-term than bus-only networks utilizing freeways.Edmonton's northeast section was selected as the first area to receive transportation improvements, because its road network was at risk of being overwhelmed by new developments. City Council was presented with three options in 1974: 1) A freeway-bus option, which would require 70 buses in peak hours, require substantial land acquisition, and reduce potential transit ridership; 2) an all-bus option that would require 150 buses in peak hours, which would share traffic lanes with vehicles aside from limited bus-priority measures, and; 3) an integrated option that required 75 buses in peak hours, and 14 LRT cars on a northeast line. The third option had the lowest ongoing costs of the three, and City Council approved it in 1973 despite provincial funding not being secured yet. In 1974, the Alberta Government pledged $45 million over four years, which was the original estimated cost of construction.
Construction began in 1974 with a budget of $65 million. During planning and construction, the managers of various departments and city-owned utilities coordinated through a Municipal Planning Commission, which allowed the city to reserve a path for the LRT; this included controlling the location of piles under the Edmonton Plaza Hotel to allow for LRT tunnels to be constructed later. As well, members of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering served as advisors for the project, and conducted research in areas such as transportation planning, traffic management, soil mechanics, and tunnelling.
Edmonton became the first city in North America with a metropolitan population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system. It also became the first city in Western Canada to operate a rapid transit system. Testing of the new line started in 1977 with regular service starting April 22, 1978, in time for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. The line followed a CN right-of-way from Belvedere Station to Stadium Station, via an intermediate stop at Coliseum Station, and then continued in a tunnel under 99 Street to Central Station, at Jasper Avenue and 100 Street, including an intermediate stop at Churchill Station. The original line was long.
Planning influences included the rail systems of Toronto, Montreal, Cleveland, as well as Netherlands and Germany. Operating practices were influenced by the MBTA Green Line, British trams, and the Canadian National Railway.
When the line opened, fare collection was modelled on traditional rapid transit lines, with booth attendants. Low volumes of activity at some entrances led to weekend closures of alternate station entrances. In November 1980, Edmonton Transit switched to a modified European-style "proof of payment" system, retaining the old turnstiles to issue the new receipts. Fares were now collected by automated ticket vending machines with irregular proof of payment inspectors, which permitted keeping all entrances open and required fewer staff.
Every station on the line constructed since 1983 has been built with full accessibility for persons with disabilities. The 1998 and 2001 upgrades to the Belvedere and Clareview stations involved installation of roofs and lengthening of platforms to accommodate five-car trains.
The LRT system had an estimated 18,220 weekday passenger boardings in 1978. 24 years later, after the completion of six new underground stations in the downtown and with a new terminus at the University of Alberta, boardings more than doubled to 39,550 in 2002. The LRT system continues to expand, and operated with 18 stations, of double track and ridership of 110,786 average weekday boardings in 2018. Extensions of the LRT system have resulted in significant increases in ridership; ridership increased nearly 78% in the first full year of the South Campus and Century Park extensions, and increased 15% in the first full year of the NAIT extension.
Lines
The system has three lines. The Capital Line, runs from northeast Edmonton to south Edmonton via Downtown. A second line, the Metro Line, connecting Downtown with northwest Edmonton, began limited operations in September 2015. The third line, the Valley Line, runs from Southeast Edmonton to Downtown and opened in late 2023. There are further projects to extend the network towards the North, Northwest, West and South areas of the city.During the construction of the Capital Line, surface area was preserved by tunnelling under the downtown core and the University of Alberta main campus. The underground portions of the LRT connect to the Edmonton Pedway system with links to many buildings. The LRT crosses the North Saskatchewan River between the Government Centre and University stations on the Dudley B. Menzies Bridge, a dedicated LRT and pedestrian bridge.
Storage, maintenance and operations of the LRT are controlled from the D.L. MacDonald Yard. The Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility provides additional storage, maintenance, and operations for the Valley Line.
The LRT operates approximately between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. daily. During peak times, Capital Line trains run approximately every six minutes, and run every 15 minutes during off-peak hours. After 6 p.m. trains run every 15 minutes. Metro Line trains run on a twelve-minute frequency during peak times and run every fifteen minutes during off-peak times. On weekdays, Valley Line trains run on a ten-minute frequency from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and run every fifteen minutes after 9:30 p.m. On Saturdays, Valley Line trains run on a ten-minute frequency from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and run every fifteen minutes after 6:30 p.m. All trains run on a fifteen-minute frequency all day on Sundays.
Before the opening of the Metro Line, the city held a naming contest, to determine the names of the five current and future LRT lines. On January 31, 2013, the city announced the names: Capital Line, Metro Line, Valley Line, Energy Line, and Festival Line.
Stations
The Capital Line has 15 stations: Clareview, Belvedere, Coliseum, Stadium, Churchill, Central, Bay/Enterprise Square, Corona, Government Centre, University, Health Sciences/Jubilee, McKernan/Belgravia, South Campus/Fort Edmonton Park, Southgate, and Century Park stations. Of these, Central, Bay/Enterprise Square, Corona, Government Centre, University, and the Capital/Metro Line platform at Churchill, are underground.Three stations are serviced by the Metro Line which opened in 2015: MacEwan, Kingsway/Royal Alex, and NAIT/Blatchford Market. The Metro Line then continues along the route of the Capital Line, heading southbound before terminating at Health Sciences/Jubilee Station. An additional station, Blatchford Gate, exists north of the current line, however is not open for passenger service.
Another 11 stops were built for the first phase of the Valley Line, which opened in late 2023:,,,,,,,,,,. New street-level platforms and an entrance were built at Churchill Station in order to allow transfers between the Valley Line and the rest of the LRT network.
Rolling stock
The rolling stock of the Capital Line is composed of trains of either Siemens-Duewag U2 or Siemens SD-160 cars. ETS operates 37 U2 cars, some of which have been in operation since the system opened in 1978. ETS also operates 57 SD-160 cars, of which 37 were ordered between 2005 and 2007, with the first cars entering revenue service on January 27, 2009. An additional 20 cars were purchased in 2010 and 2011 for use in the Metro Line and were delivered from March 2012 to April 2013.The Capital Line uses five-car trains during peak hours, four-car trains on weekends, and two-car trains are used for late night service. The Metro Line operated three-car trains until the permanent NAIT/Blatchford Market station opened, as the temporary NAIT station could only accommodate three-car trains. The permanent station is 125 metres long to accommodate a five-car train. All other extensions to the Capital and Metro lines will have five-car platforms.
The Valley Line uses low-floor Bombardier/Alstom Flexity Freedom vehicles. The vehicles used in Edmonton are composed of seven articulated segments, and run as single trains or may be coupled together. Forty-six more low-floor LRT vehicles were ordered in 2021 from Hyundai Rotem for the Valley Line, to be put in service when the West extension to Lewis Farms opens.