ValleyLineLRT

The Valley Line LRT has been open for about 1 year and Carrie Hotton-MacDonald branch manager of Edmonton Transit Service deems the first year a success with some challenges. Twenty-six trains are online, ridership has climbed, on time-performance is high, and train frequency has increased to five minute intervals are some of the successes.

The Valley Line LRT was four years behind schedule in opening, there have been at least 23 accidents involving the train and drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Poor reliability, accessibility concerns, social disorder and vandalism have accounted for automatic doors being removed from 76 shelters and shelter redesign would be costly and difficult.

The Valley Line LRT has been plagued with problems since its inception. Cost overruns, setbacks and delays, the number of collisions at uncontrolled crossings have been major bugaboos and now two new problems have drawn attention.

The sliding doors on station shelters have had to be removed because of damage caused by vandals and social disorder. This means that the shelters will not be able to provide the same level of shelter from the elements that they could when the doors were in place.

People who live in the Strathearn area say the Valley Line LRT has created another problem for them. The trains run 18 hours a day and the complaints are many about the screech that is heard every time the train rounds the bend at the top of Connors Hill at 95th Avenue. Transit officials say the complaints have been heard and they are working to reduce rail noise including making certain squeaky wheels get the grease.

Yesterday, another collision involving an LRT train happened at the corner of 75 Street and Roper Road. The train was derailed and the train operator and one passenger suffered minor injuries. Jan Parks, general manager of the car dealership located at the corner, said his staff has counted 15 collisions between vehicles at the two crossings since trains started running last year.

The last game of the exhibition season is against the Saskatchewang Roughriders this weekend and then the same RoughRiders come here to get the Edmonton Elks 2024 CFL season. Prior to the beginning of the season Edmonton Public Transit says LRT construction will mean some slight modifications to the Edmonton ElksPark & Ride free transit offering. The program gives free transit rides to anyone with a game-day Elks ticket from two hours before every home game to two hours after.

Both the the Valley Line LRT and the Park & Ride lot at Lewis Farms (1021 Webber Greens Dr.will have limited parking because of Valley Line West LRT construction. For further details click the link below.

Click here to get more details on the full CFL schedule