| Edmonton Light Rail Transit | |||
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| Info | |||
| Locale | Edmonton, Alberta | ||
| Transit type | Light rail | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 15 | ||
| Daily ridership | 93,600[1] | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | April 28, 1978 | ||
| Operator(s) | Edmonton Transit System | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) | ||
| Electrification | Overhead lines, 600 volts DC[2] | ||
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Legend
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Edmonton Light Rail Transit, more commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit System (ETS), the 20.5-kilometre route starts in Edmonton's northeast suburbs and ends at Century Park in Edmonton's south end.
The ETS designates the LRT as Route 201.[3] The easternmost track, as the line runs south to north, typically carrying traffic to Clareview, is designated Track 1, with Track 2 typically carrying southbound trains.
The system uses trains of either Siemens-Duewag U2 cars or Siemens SD-160 cars; 37 of the SD-160 cars were ordered between 2005 and 2007, with the first cars entering revenue service on January 27, 2009.[4]
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The system currently comprises the following 15 consecutive stations: Clareview, Belvedere, Coliseum, Stadium, Churchill, Central, Bay/Enterprise Square, Corona, Grandin/Government Centre, University, Health Sciences/Jubilee, McKernan/Belgravia, South Campus, Southgate, and Century Park stations. Of these, Churchill, Central, Bay/Enterprise Square, Corona, Grandin/Government Centre, and University are underground.
Storage, maintenance and operations of the LRT are controlled from the D.L. MacDonald Yard.
Plans are in place to extend south to Ellerslie station, north to Gorman Station, and a spur north of downtown to MacEwan, Kingsway, and NAIT. In addition there are further plans to create two new lines that will extend to Mill Woods Town Centre in the South East part of the city and to Lewis Estates in the West end of the city.
During construction, surface area was preserved (although costs increased) by tunnelling under the downtown core and the University of Alberta main campus. The underground portions of the LRT connect to a pedway system with links to many buildings. The LRT crosses the North Saskatchewan River between the Grandin and University stations on the Dudley B. Menzies Bridge,[5] a dedicated LRT bridge.
Edmonton was the first city in North America with a metropolitan population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system.[3] The population was just over 445,000 when the route first started construction in 1974.[6] It opened its first segment on April 22, 1978, in time for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. The line followed a CN right-of-way from Belvedere Station to Stadium Station (near Commonwealth Stadium), via an intermediate stop at Coliseum Station (near the Northlands Coliseum, now Rexall Place), and then continued in a tunnel under 99 Street to Central Station, at Jasper Avenue and 100 Street, including an intermediate stop, Churchill. The original line was 6.9 km long.
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–as it was then named–switched to a modified European-style "proof of payment" system, initially retaining the old turnstiles to issue the new receipts.[7] 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.
On April 26, 1981, ETS opened a northeastern-bound extension of 2.2 km on the CN right-of-way to Clareview Station. In June 1983, the light rail tunnel downtown was extended by 0.8 km to Bay and Corona stations. The D.L. MacDonald Yard, between Belvedere and Clareview, opened in December 1983 to store and service the vehicles. The line was extended in September 1989 by 0.8 km to Grandin (close to the Alberta Legislature). On August 23, 1992, the next extension opened from Grandin to University Station, partially via a North Saskatchewan River crossing with a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists, and partially via a tunnel into the station. On January 1, 2006, the line was extended 0.64 km south through the University Campus to the Health Sciences, which is located at street level.
On April 25, 2009, McKernan/Belgravia and South Campus were opened as part of the south LRT expansion, with Southgate and Century Park opening on April 24, 2010. The first of the new Siemens SD-160 light rail vehicle train cars for the new extension were shipped by rail from Florin, California, on April 24, 2008, arriving in Edmonton on May 9, 2008 (37 vehicles in total).[8]
The LRT expansion was developed entirely at surface level with several underpasses, one at Belgravia Road and the other under 111 Street south of 61 Avenue. A short busway has been constructed from the South Campus station[9] roughly parallel to Belgravia Road in conjunction with the South LRT expansion. The surface LRT line emerges to ground level just north of the Health Sciences Station at the University of Alberta, which opened in January 2006. From the Health Sciences Station, the South LRT line leads to the South Campus Station, followed by the Southgate and Century Park stations.
Every station on the line built since 1983 has been built with full accessibility for persons with disabilities. In the late 1990s, Clareview and Belvedere Stations were renovated to include a roof and also had their platforms lengthened to allow for the use of five-car trains.
The City of Edmonton has prioritized future expansion of the LRT into six stages:[10]
In January 2008, Mayor Stephen Mandel announced that the southern leg will be extended further south along 111 Street to Anthony Henday Drive, and then west to 127 Street SW. There will be a station and a 1,000-car park-and-ride at the intersection of Ellerslie Road and 127 Street SW, then the LRT will continue south for another stop at 41 Avenue SW, with a possible new LRT yard in between. City council approved the route to the Ellerslie station, and for construction to begin on the park-and ride in July 2009,[11] but they have yet to announce when the station will be complete, as well as approval for the extension to city limits. Long range plans for the south line include possible extension all the way to the Edmonton International Airport and Leduc.[12]
On April 27, 2007, the city began detailed planning of a new LRT line that will run north from the Churchill Station, to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and eventually beyond to north-end neighbourhoods with a terminal station south of St.Albert.
In April 2008, Edmonton City Council approved $45 million in funding to build a tunnel under the Epcor Tower site immediately, while it was still under construction, with the aim of saving $140 million more than would have been required to dig under the tower once it was completed. This step was taken even though the rest of the project had not yet been approved, because of the time constraint posed by the construction of the new tower.[13] Construction on the tunnel began in August 2009 and was completed by approximately September 2010.[14]
On July 2, 2009, the federal and provincial governments approved the reallocation of funding from the proposed Gorman Station to the line as the city felt that NAIT was more of a higher priority.[15]
On May 19, 2010, the transportation department announced its recommendation for an extension of the north line from the NAIT station to St. Albert. This new extension will travel north from the City Centre Airport land, along 113A Street, until reaching 153 Avenue where it will turn west to a new park-and-ride lot beside Anthony Henday Drive and St. Albert Trail. This extension is expected to eventually serve 42,000 to 45,000 passengers daily and is projected to be completed by 2019. As of yet this is still in the planning stage[16]
The new line branches off the main LRT line at Churchill Station, runs west along 105 Avenue to the Grant MacEwan University City Centre Campus, then north along 105 Street, Kingsway (Avenue), and 106 Street, to Kingsway Mall and NAIT. Beyond NAIT the line could possibly travel through the new neighbourhood built after the City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport is dismantled, go over the CN railway yard north of Yellowhead Trail, and continue further north along 113A Street, with long range plans to eventually extend the line to St. Albert. The City of St. Albert has also began preliminary plans to extend the LRT line into their borders.
The new line has three confirmed stations: one at Grant MacEwan University (MacEwan Station), one on Kingsway (Kingsway Station), and one near the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT Station). MacEwan Station will be located just east of the downtown MacEwan University campus, and west of the proposed hockey arena, at 104 Street and 105 Avenue. The Kingsway Station will be located on the north side of Kingsway, to the south of the Royal Alexandra Hospital. As part of the plan, the current Kingway Transit Centre will be relocated to the southeast corner of 111 Avenue and 106 Street, to provide service to both Kingsway Mall and the Kingsway Station.[17] TheNAIT Station will be located north of Princess Elizabeth Avenue, on the south side of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology's swimming pool and hockey arena (S) wing.[14][18][19][20]
As of early 2011, preparation work has been ongoing getting the route prepared for actual construction. Various roadways have been temporarily and some permanently closed to vehicular trafic due to LRT construction. In August 2011, 105 Avenue was closed and tunnelling is scheduled to begin to connect with the tunnel under the Epcor Tower.[21]
On April 30, 2009, Mayor Stephen Mandel announced a $210 million project to extend the LRT system by one stop (Gorman Station) to Gorman Towne Centre. The expansion beyond Clareview Station is planned to continue along the CN right-of-way to a station and park-and-ride north of 153 Avenue and Victoria Trail. Long range plans for the northeast leg of the LRT include extending it towards Fort Saskatchewan.
A potential expansion towards Lewis Estates, with the West Edmonton Mall en route, is under consideration. A recommended route was announced on March 3, 2008. It called for a branch off the main North–South LRT line between the Health Sciences and McKernan/Belgravia stations, with a tunnelled alignment running west under University Avenue, crossing the North Saskatchewan River via a new bridge, and then continuing westwards at-grade along 87 Avenue past West Edmonton Mall to a terminus at Lewis Estates.[22]
A second option was recommended by Transit officials September 3, 2009, that would have the west LRT extension run from downtown, along 104 Avenue and Stony Plain Road before diverting south on 156 Street towards Meadowlark Health And Shopping Centre, then returning to the 87 Avenue alignment to West Edmonton Mall and beyond. Proponents of this route cite better opportunities for transit-oriented development.[23][24] On December 15, 2009, Edmonton City Council voted in favor of the Stony Plain Road route, although station placement and minor route adjustments could still take place within the next few months, construction could possibly start within 3 years.[25]
Planning studies for an LRT route from downtown to Mill Woods began in early 2009, and several routes were being considered.[26] In December 2009, Edmonton city council approved a new low floor train route that would leave from a new ground-level Churchill Station, across the North Saskatchewan River on a new bridge to be constructed east of Louise McKinney Park, climb the hill adjacent to Connors Road then proceed east along 95 Avenue and southbound at 85 Street. The route will travel southbound along 85 Street crossing the traffic circle and shifting to 83 Street, continuing south and east on an elevated track towards Wagner Road. Finally the Mill Woods line will proceed south along 75/66 Street until it reaches Mill Woods Station. Within this line the proposed stations are: Quarters, Muttart, Strathearn, Holyrood, Bonnie Doon, 73 Avenue, Wagner, Whitemud (to include bus terminal and a 'park & ride'), Millbourne, Grey Nuns, and Mill Woods.
On June 1, 2011, Edmonton City Council approved $39 million in funding to proceed with preliminary engineering for the Southeast to West LRT line.[27] In November 2011 City Council voted to allocate $800 million to the project, with the hopes of starting constuction by 2014 and an expected completion date of 2018.[28]
Concerns over community impacts[29] along the proposed West[30] and North[31] LRT extensions have led to a larger debate[32] over the vision[33] guiding the various expansion plans, and the criteria used to select the routes. A lack of coordination between the extensions and transit oriented developments as well as integration with other regional transportation nodes, has given rise to proposals for a new LRT master plan to guide it all.[34]
The cash fare for passengers using Edmonton Transit System buses and the LRT, effective February 1, 2011, is $2.85 for adults, seniors and youth.[35] Children under age five ride free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.[36]
Passengers can purchase books of transit tickets, day passes, and monthly transit passes. Seniors can also purchase an annual transit pass.
Passengers paying a cash fare at a fare machine at an LRT station are issued a transit ticket, which is validated as an LRT ticket after being time-stamped. This ticket is valid both as proof of payment and as a transfer. Transfers allow the passenger to transfer from the LRT to a bus, from a bus to the LRT and between buses, and is valid for 90 minutes from the time it was stamped. Passengers paying a cash fare on a bus can obtain a transfer at the time the fare is paid. Transfers also serve as proof of payment.[37]
Passengers in an LRT proof of payment area must present proof of payment upon request by an ETS officer. Proof of payment includes LRT tickets, transfers, validated transit tickets and transit passes. Failure to provide proof of payment can result in a fine. Proof of payment areas include all LRT trains and most LRT station platforms. (At Health Sciences/Jubilee, McKernan/Belgravia, and South Campus stations, the fare machines are located on the station platform so it is possible to be on the platform without a proof of payment.)
In 2007, the Edmonton Transit System, the University of Alberta, and Grant MacEwan University (Grant MacEwan College at the time) partnered to provide students with a universal transit pass (U-Pass), which is valid on the LRT and all ETS buses as well as on Strathcona County and St. Albert Transit Systems.[38][39] NAIT students voted to join the program in 2010.[40] The U-Pass allows unlimited LRT and bus use to valid pass holders, and is only available during the months of September to April.
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