Edmonton City Council approved funding for one light-rail extension and received updates on three additional light-rail transit (LRT) projects.
City Council has approved C$333 million (US$26.91 million) of municipal funding for the Capital Line South LRT Extension from Century Park to the Heritage Valley Park & Ride.
“With this commitment we are one big step closer to the city’s vision to expand LRT service to all sectors of the city by 2040,” said Adam Laughlin, deputy city manager of Integrated Infrastructure Services. “This municipal contribution will allow us to start preparing the project in anticipation of federal funding confirmation.”
The city of Edmonton has received C$1.47 billion (US$1.19 billion) in previous funding commitments from both the federal and provincial governments for LRT expansion. The Capital Line funding application is currently with the federal government for review and submission to the federal Treasury Board by the fall of this year.
The City Administration also delivered an LRT Network update to City Council that outlined the work being completed across the Valley Line LRT and Metro Northwest.
“We are thrilled that work has begun on the next major pieces of the LRT Network in the Valley Line West and Metro Northwest Phase 1,” said Laughlin. “Projects of this size bring a massive economic boost to the province and to our city and will be invaluable to moving people efficiently as our city continues to grow.”
Construction on the Metro Line extension from NAIT into Blatchford is continuing with track being installed, stations being constructed and landscaping work happening to accommodate the line. Early work on the Valley Line West is underway and includes preparing project plans and designs, procuring major construction contracts and conducting geotechnical investigations along the alignment. Construction activities are set to ramp up in early 2022 and will eventually connect to the operational Valley Line Southeast.
“The Valley Line Southeast will be a significant addition to our current LRT Network. TransEd has stated that they will be completing the project by the end of this year, and we are holding them to it,” said Laughlin. “TransEd has a lot of work to do, and we want to help them get there so we can enjoy the high-quality and safe system that Edmontonians were promised.”
The Valley Line Southeast will run 13 kilometers (approximately eight miles) from downtown to Mill Woods and will operate as Edmonton’s first low-floor “urban-style” LRT. TransEd began construction on the Valley Line Southeast in spring 2016.
“This is a big day for LRT in Edmonton,” said Laughlin. “We have three major projects underway and one about to get underway—all of them getting us closer to the vision for LRT and mobility laid out in our City Plan.”
