Edmonton Light Rail Transit

The above-ground LRT station at the University of Alberta's South Campus, near the Neil Crawford Centre and Foote Field

In 1962, Canadian Bechtel Ltd. was commissioned to develop a plan for Edmonton's rapid transit system. Construction began in 1974 with a budget of $65 million.[9] Edmonton became the first city in North America with a metropolitan population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system.[10] The population was just over 445,000 when construction started on the route in 1974.[11] 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 (near Commonwealth Stadium), via an intermediate stop at Coliseum Station (near Northlands Coliseum), 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 6.9 km (4.3 mi) long.[12]

Planning influences included the rail systems of Toronto (for dimensions), Montreal (underground environment), Cleveland (reuse of existing rail right of way), as well as Netherlands and Germany (feeder bus routes with timed-transfers, and choice of rolling stock). Operating practices were influenced by the MBTA Green Line, British trams, and the Canadian National Railway.[13]

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, retaining the old turnstiles to issue the new receipts.[14] 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 built 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.[12]

The LRT system had an estimated 18,220 weekday passenger boardings in 1978.[12] 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.[12] The LRT system continues to expand, and operated with 18 stations, 24.3 km (15.1 mi) of double track and ridership of 110,786 average weekday boardings in 2018.[15] Extensions of the LRT system has resulted in significant increases in ridership; ridership increased nearly 78% in the first full year of the South Campus and Century Park extensions (2011 versus 2008), and increased 15% in the first full year of the NAIT extension (2016 versus 2014).[16]

The system has two 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. There are further projects to create a new 27-kilometre (17 mi) line that will extend to Mill Woods in the southeast part of the city and to Lewis Farms 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 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,[17] a dedicated LRT and pedestrian bridge.

Storage, maintenance and operations of the LRT are controlled from the D.L. MacDonald Yard.

The LRT operates approximately between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. daily. During peak-times, trains departing Clareview to Downtown run approximately every five to ten minutes, and run every 15 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains from Century Park to Downtown run on a five-minute frequency during peak-times and run every five to ten minutes during off-peak times. After 10 p.m. trains run every 15 minutes. 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.[18] On January 31, 2013, the city announced the names: Capital Line, Metro Line, Valley Line, Energy Line, and Festival Line.[19][20]

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, Churchill, Central, Bay/Enterprise Square, Corona, Government Centre, and University are underground. The three newest stations opened in September 2015 for the Metro Line: MacEwan, Kingsway/Royal Alex, and NAIT.

Another 12 stations will be built for the first phase of the Valley Line, which was being tested as of 2023.[21]

Edmonton Transit Service LRVs

Image	Mfr	Model	No.	Qty	Dates		Notes	Refs
					Ordered	Service
	Siemens-Duewag	U2 (RTE 1)	1001–1014	37	1977	1978	Largely similar to the U2 cars designed for Frankfurt; Edmonton model (designated RTE 1) is modified with extra heating, double-glazed windows, and continuous-level floor. Refurbishment completed in 2013 to extend life by 15–20 years.	[22][23][24]
			1015–1017		1980
			1018–1037		1983
	Siemens	SD-160	1038–1074	57	2005	2008	Initial 37-car order to accommodate southern extension to Century Park, delivered starting in 2008. 20-car expansion for Metro Line service delivered 2012–13.	[24][25][26][27]
			1075–1094		2010	2012
	Bombardier	Flexity Freedom	1001–1026	26	2018	2022	First low-floor LRVs for Edmonton, intended for Valley Line service. Seven articulated segments; 42 m (137 ft) long over couplers, 82 seats / 275 passengers.	[28][29]
	Hyundai	LRV	—	40	2021	2025	Low-floor LRVs, intended for Valley Line service. To accommodate the West extension to Lewis Farms.	[30]

Interior of a Siemens SD-160

Interior of a refurbished Siemens-Duewag U2

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.[25] An additional 20 cars were purchased in 2010 and 2011 for use in the Metro Line[31][32] and were delivered from March 2012 to April 2013.[24]

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 will operate three-car trains until the permanent NAIT station is opened, as the temporary NAIT station can only accommodate three-car trains. The permanent station will be 125 metres long to accommodate a five-car train. All other extensions to the Capital and Metro lines will have five-car platforms.[33]

The future Valley Line (currently under construction) will initially use new low-floor Bombardier Flexity Freedom vehicles.[34] Forty other new 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.[30]

All LRT stations are monitored by CCTV cameras. All trains are equipped with operator alert systems which allow passengers to contact the train operator in the event of an emergency. Likewise, all stations are equipped with blue emergency help phones which connect with ETS Security. The stations are patrolled by transit peace officers.[35]

Despite the security measures, there have been several incidents on trains or at stations. In 2008, there were 328 crimes against persons reported on transport property.[36] Some of the most serious incidents include:

• In 1988, a woman was strangled to death in a Churchill Station washroom.[36]
• In 2010, a woman was shot and killed at Stadium Station.[36]
• In 2012, a man was beaten to death on board the LRT between Stadium and Belvedere Station.[37]
• In 2018, a man was stabbed at South Campus/Fort Edmonton Park station[38]
• In 2021, a male student was assaulted and stabbed at University Station.[39]
• In April 2022, an elderly woman was assaulted and pushed onto the tracks at Health Sciences/Jubilee[40]
• In June 2022 near Churchill Station, Edmonton Police Service officers fatally shot an armed suspect[41]
• In July 2023, a man was fatally stabbed at Belvedere station. [42]

The cash fare for passengers using ETS buses and the LRT, since 1 February 2019, is $3.50 for adults, seniors and youth. Children 12 and under ride free with fare-paying rider.[43]

Passengers can also purchase books of transit tickets or monthly transit passes. Seniors can purchase an annual transit pass at a discounted rate.

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 or validating a ticket on a bus obtain a transfer at the time the fare is paid. Transfers also serve as proof of payment for 90 minutes.[45]

Passengers in an LRT proof-of-payment area must present proof of payment upon request by a transit peace officer. Proof of payment includes LRT tickets, transfers, validated transit tickets and transit passes. Failure to provide proof of payment can result in a $250 fine. Proof-of-payment areas include all LRT trains and LRT station platforms, unless the ticket vending machines are located on the platform itself.

In 2007, ETS, the University of Alberta (U of A), and MacEwan University 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.[46][47] NAIT students voted to join the program in 2010.[48] The U-Pass allows unlimited LRT and bus use. This service was temporarily suspended in fall 2020 through winter 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Metro Line and the Capital Line use fixed block signalling. The new Metro Line was originally built to use only CBTC,[97] but was converted to the fixed block system after the City fired Thales,[98] the contractor originally chosen to install the CBTC system. The Metro Line's fixed block system was provided by Alstom.[99][100] The fixed-block system became active in March 2021, allowing trains to run at full speed along the metro line track for the first time since the line opened.[101] The city claims that frequencies in the downtown core will reach 2.5 minutes with the fixed-block system, but the current schedule is for 5-minute headways.[102]

The signalling system divides the track into sections called blocks protected by signals that maintain at least one empty fixed block between trains. The CBTC system was supposed to use computer control to maintain a fixed distance of empty space (a moving block) between trains. This would have allowed trains to operate closer together, which increases the frequency of trains arriving at stations and increases an LRT system's overall capacity for ridership.[97]

The CBTC uses computers on trains that report into a central controller to pinpoint the exact location of each train and constantly adjust the speed, spacing and routing of trains to keep trains safe and on schedule. It safely tightens up the spacing between trains so that Metro Line and Capital Line trains can share the same tracks between Health Sciences/Jubilee station and Churchill station. Edmonton Transit runs peak-time trains every 5 minutes through downtown, but this frequency could have been increased to every 2.5 minutes when the Metro Line originally intended to be operational.[97] This goal was abandoned by the city after August 2021, having restored 5 minute frequency on the Capital Line. The Metro Line continues to operate on a 15-minute frequency.[103]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edmonton Light Rail Transit.

• A technological history of municipally owned public transportation in Edmonton Volume Two
• Edmonton Transit Service (Official website)
• Edmonton Transit Service–Future LRT
• ETS Street Team: On the Job - ETS Motorman on YouTube - Published by the City of Edmonton; illustrates motorman procedures