Watch: City of Edmonton Launches Valley Line Southeast
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Nov. 4 marked the official start of passenger service of Edmonton’s Valley Line Southeast LRT.
The City of Edmonton, Alberta’s, long-awaited 8.1-mile Valley Line Southeast LRT opened Nov. 4. Connecting the Mill Woods neighborhood to the heart of downtown, it includes 11 street-level stops; an elevated station with a 1,300-spot Park and Ride facility and a full transit center located in the Wagner industrial area; a new Tawatinâ Bridge across North Saskatchewan River; a short tunnel from the north face of the River Valley through to the Quarters redevelopment; and an interchange at Churchill Square to access the existing Metro and Capital LRT lines. Twenty-six Alstom Flexity LRVs are expected to carry 30,000 riders per day to start.
Through a P3 (public-private partnership) arrangement with the City, TransEd Partners not only designed and built the C$1.8 billion LRT system, but also will operate and maintain (O&M) it until 2050. TransEd Partners comprises Bechtel, EllisDon, Alstom, and Fengate Capital Management Ltd., with Arup Canada and IBI Group.
Alstom reported that it “assumes a majority share in the joint venture responsible for the O&M of the system for TransEd,” which includes maintaining the complete fleet, tracks, catenary, stations, maintenance facility and all other elements of the system, as well as all aspects of operating the fleet including crew training and dispatching, control room management, customer service and rider experience. The company noted that “this represents the first LRT system where Alstom is involved in the complete O&M scope”; a 125-member team will handle the work.
Work began on the LRT project, Edmonton’s first using low-floor vehicle technology, on April 22, 2016. “The DBOM (design-build-operate-maintain) project has faced several delays,” according to a report published earlier this year by Railway Age Canadian Contributing Editor John Thompson. “Early in the construction program, a large block of concrete was discovered in the North Saskatchewan River, potentially interfering with the building of the new LRT bridge. Removal of the offending concrete was a lengthy and complicated process. Then, the COVID virus struck, resulting in employee absenteeism, physical distancing at work sites, and materials shortages and delays.
“After several previous missed opening dates, it had been planned to open the Valley Line during the second half of 2022. However, a project inspection by City of Edmonton engineers discovered cracks in 30 of the 45 bridge piers. Consequently, LRV testing on these sections of the line had to be suspended … The reinforcing work, whose cost is being borne entirely by TransEd, was substantially complete by January [2023].”
A formal grand opening ceremony is slated to be held in 2024, according to the City.
“Today [Nov. 4] marks a historic achievement for the City of Edmonton, which is now home to an accessible, reliable and sustainable urban-style LRT line that rival those of other world-class cities,” said Darren Mort, President of Bechtel Infrastructure. “We’re proud of this project and grateful to TransEd and the City of Edmonton for their partnership.”
“EllisDon Transit Services is excited to be a partner in the operations and maintenance of the Valley Line Southeast LRT,” said Jody Becker, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President, Infrastructure Services and Technology at EllisDon. “Our team is deeply committed to delivering world-class transit operations that all Edmontonions can enjoy.”
“Alstom is proud to celebrate this important milestone with the City of Edmonton and our partners,” Alstom Americas President and CEO Michael Keroullé said. “We look forward to serving the citizens of Edmonton with a world-class LRT service for years to come.”
