Metro Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Locale | Edmonton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations | 10 (originally 14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Edmonton LRT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Edmonton Transit Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depot(s) | D.L. MacDonald Yard Northwest LRT Yard (proposed) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rolling stock | Siemens-Duewag U2 Siemens SD-160 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | September 6, 2015 [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 8 km (5.0 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating speed | 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Metro Line is a light rail line on the Edmonton LRT system. The line operates from northwest Edmonton to south Edmonton, and began operation on September 6, 2015. The line consists of ten stations, three of which are exclusive to the line and the remaining seven are shared with the Capital Line.
A one-stop extension to Blatchford Gate station was completed in late 2023 but has yet to open. An extension to the northwest city limits, at the border with the city of St. Albert, has completed conceptual design, [3] while St. Albert has mapped a possible extension through that city, along Highway 2/St. Albert Trail. [4]
In spring 2007, the funding for a concept plan and preliminary engineering was commissioned, and the City approved the plan the next year. [5] In 2008, during construction of the Epcor Tower, the City ordered that the tunnel section below the tower be dug before the tower was completed. This saved $140 million from digging after the tower was built. [6] [7] The remainder of the tunnel, under Downtown Edmonton, was constructed using the sequential excavation method and completed in November 2012. [8] In 2009 the City approved the relocation of funds from the Gorman extension to the Metro Line, as the City felt northwest was a higher priority. [9] [10] In 2010, the city began preparation work, including utility relocations, building removals, roadwork, Kingsway road reconstruction and track slab construction. [5] [11] The permanent closure of 105 Avenue between 102 Street and 105 Street was performed so MacEwan station could be built. 105 Street was permanently closed to vehicular traffic between 107 Avenue and 108 Avenue to allow the line to continue along the existing road corridor, which alleviated the need to widen the corridor and remove some existing trees. 104 Street was closed between 108 Avenue and Kingsway in a similar fashion. [12] Construction was completed in 2014 in time to accommodate a spring 2014 opening. [11] Bus service began for the first Metro Line facility, the Kingsway/Royal Alex Transit Centre, on June 29, 2014. [11] The public plaza surrounding MacEwan station, except for the area required to build Rogers Place, opened for use by people other than the construction crew in December 2014. [13]
On September 6, 2015, the three stations and 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) of track, [14] opened to the public.
The cost of the project was $665 million, jointly funded by the City of Edmonton, Province of Alberta, and the Government of Canada. [14] [15] It was the first new line that was not an extension of the existing line. The line was expected to add 13,200 riders per weekday. [16]
On August 30, 2021 (late evenings and Sundays starting June 27 [17] ), service on the Metro Line was modified to end at Health Sciences/Jubilee station, as was originally planned but delayed due to signalling issues which caused trains to run a reduced frequency to the interim terminus at Century Park station, to ensure the Capital Line could run at full frequency. [18]
In June 2020, construction began on phase one of the Metro Line northwest extension, which consisted of two stops: NAIT/Blatchford Market, which replaced the temporary NAIT station in use for eight years, and Blatchford Gate. [19] Construction was completed in December 2023 with NAIT/Blatchford Market station opening on January 20, 2024, and Blatchford Gate station has an uncertain opening date. [20]
Testing began in July 2013, [12] and the line began operation in September 2015 with restrictions. [21] [11] [22] [23] [24] There were three delays in beginning operations on the line: one from April to June 2014, one from June to December 2014, and another from December 2014 to February 2015. The delays were caused by issues with the signalling system built by Thales. [25] [26] [27] Thales gave control of the system to the City of Edmonton in March 2015, but failed to provide adequate documentation to place the line into service. [22] In February 2017, trains were cleared to travel at 50 km/h. [28] The Thales signalling system used communications-based train control (CBTC) where trains occupy a "footprint", measure, and adjust their operation relative to the next train in front of them, hence the term "moving block" (as opposed to a traditional fixed block signal where each block is occupied by a train).
In September 2018, the Toronto Star reported that Edmonton had given Thales until April 30, 2017, to bring the system to full functionality. [29] Edmonton had withheld $22 million from Thales, until the system was fully functional. When Thales did not meet this deadline Edmonton gave Thales a "notice of default". On September 13, 2018, Edmonton announced Thales had promised the signalling system would be fully functional by December 2018. [30] Edmonton also announced there was a backup plan, to keep the route functioning, if Thales failed to deliver.
In April 2019, the City of Edmonton terminated its contract with Thales, and sought other options to complete the line and bring it up to full service. According to testing completed in December 2018, the Thales signalling system could not keep trains on schedule, and caused trains to stop unexpectedly. [31] Alstom was selected to replace the Thales system.
In March 2021 the Alstom signalling system came online, fully replacing the Thales system. This allowed the line to operate at full speed every 5 minutes when demand calls for it. [32] Alstom's system is a fixed-block system similar to the existing Capital Line, which allows inter-operation on the shared track from Century Park to Churchill without compatibility issues arising.
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An extension from the permanent NAIT/Blatchford Market station is in the planning phases by the City of Edmonton. [33] The recommendation, released in May 2010, [34] extends the Metro Line through Blatchford (the sustainable community being developed on the grounds of the former City Centre Airport) over Yellowhead Trail and the CN Railway yard, along 113A Street and 153 Avenue to the City of St. Albert limits. [14] The extension would have eight stations, including stops in Blatchford, Rosslyn, Griesbach, Castle Downs, The Palisades, and at Campbell Road. [33] As part of this extension, a park and ride is proposed at Campbell Rd and 153 Ave. This type of line is planned to run with less separation from other traffic, mostly with lower track speeds, no higher than general purpose traffic, still with traffic signal priority and dedicated lanes. This extension is 11 km (6.8 mi) long, and will have 8 new stations and a rebuilt NAIT station slightly to the west of its current location. This section of the line is not planned to use gate arms, bells and flashing lights as has been done with the Metro Line from NAIT to Churchill. [35]
Expansion of the Metro Line will occur in three phases. [36] Phase one, consisting of two stops: NAIT/Blatchford Market and Blatchford Gate, began construction in June 2020 and was completed in December 2023 with the latter station remaining non-operational until the criteria for the city’s transit service standard is met. [19] [20] Preliminary designs for phase two and three are completed and will move forward when funding becomes available. [37]
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The City of St. Albert began studying extending Edmonton's LRT in early 2013, identifying four possible locations for stations. [38] On November 12, 2013, St. Albert council decided to continue studying LRT alignment options, but not to put any money into purchasing land or rail cars. [39] The selected corridor was approved by St. Albert city council on December 2, 2014, which will run on St. Albert Trail and proposed four possible station locations. The line is proposed to be primarily aligned to the east of St. Albert Trail, reducing it to four lanes north of Hebert Road. As well, there are three new bridges proposed along the St. Albert extension to span Anthony Henday Drive, Sir Winston Churchill Avenue, and the Sturgeon River. [40]
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CTrain is a light rail system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Much of the system functions as a high-capacity light metro, while in the downtown free-fare zone, trains run like a modern tram with a dedicated right-of-way. This subway-surface alignment is known as semi-metro.
The Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) is the public transit service owned and operated by the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It operates Edmonton's bus and light rail systems. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 87,646,600, or about 323,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA), was an airport within the city of Edmonton, in the Canadian province of Alberta.
The Light Rail Transit Line 1, commonly referred to as LRT Line 1 or LRT-1, is a light rapid transit system line in Metro Manila, Philippines, operated by Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) and owned by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) as part of the Manila Light Rail Transit System. Originally referred to as Metrorail and the Yellow Line, LRT Line 1 was reclassified to be the Green Line in 2012. It travels in a general north–south direction from Baclaran to Monumento, and then east–west from Monumento to Fernando Poe Jr. Currently, the line consists of 20 stations and runs on 19.7 kilometers of fully elevated route. Although it has the characteristics of light rail, such as with the type of rolling stock used, it is more akin to a rapid transit system owing to its total grade separation and high passenger throughput.
The Light Rail Transit Line 2, also known as LRT Line 2, LRT-2, or Megatren, is a rapid transit line in Metro Manila in the Philippines owned and operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). The line generally runs in an east–west direction between Recto in Manila and Antipolo. The line is officially referred to as the Purple Line.
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), the system has 29 stations on three lines and 37.4 km (23.2 mi) of track. Much of the system has a dedicated right-of-way, while in the downtown area, vehicles run underground. This subway-surface alignment is known as semi-metro. As of 2018, it was number seven on a list of the busiest light rail transit systems in North America, with over 113,000 daily weekday riders.
Government Centre station is an Edmonton LRT station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It serves both the Capital Line and the Metro Line. It is an underground station located beneath 110 Street between 99 Avenue and 98 Avenue. The station provides service to the Government Centre part of the downtown core and the neighbourhood of Oliver. The station is connected to the Alberta Legislature Building and several other government buildings by underground walkways of the Edmonton Pedway.
Transport in Edmonton is fairly typical for a Canadian city of its size, involving air, rail, road and public transit. With very few natural barriers to growth and largely flat to gently rolling terrain bisected by a deep river valley, the city of Edmonton has expanded to cover an area of nearly 768 km2 (297 sq mi), of which only two-thirds is built-up, while the metropolitan area covers around 9,430 km2 (3,640 sq mi).
The LRT Ampang Line and the LRT Sri Petaling Line are medium-capacity light rapid transit (LRT) lines in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The combined network comprises 45.1 kilometres (28.0 mi) of tracks with 36 stations and was the first railway in Malaysia to use standard-gauge track and semi-automated trains. The lines are operated as part of the Rapid KL system by Rapid Rail, a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia.
Kingsway/Royal Alex station is an Edmonton LRT station in Edmonton, Alberta. It serves the Metro Line. It is located adjacent to the Royal Alexandra Hospital on the north side of Kingsway. The Kingsway/Royal Alex Transit Centre, constructed at the same time, is located next to the station.
NAIT/Blatchford Market station is an Edmonton LRT station in Edmonton, Alberta which serves as the northern terminus of the Metro Line. The station is located north of Princess Elizabeth Avenue, on the west side of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and Brigadier James Curry Jefferson Armoury. The station was built after a long-term comprehensive land use plan of the Edmonton City Centre Airport lands were finalized.
Green Line of Namma Metro was built along with the Purple Line during the first phase of construction of the metro rail system for the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The 30.5 km (19.0 mi) line connects Madavara in the northwest to Silk Institute in the south. The line connects the industrial centers of Peenya and Yeshwanthpur in the north with the central hub of Majestic and the southern residential areas of Bangalore. Green Line is mostly elevated, with 26 elevated and 3 underground stations. The Line passes through Majestic station which is an interchange station between Green and Purple Lines.
Blatchford is a community being developed on the site of the decommissioned City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta. With an area of 2.17 km2 (0.84 sq mi), Blatchford is approximately the size of Edmonton's downtown core. It is planned to be a medium-high density neighbourhood which will rely on renewable energy and a district energy sharing system, contain two Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations, and be carbon neutral.
The Confederation Line, also called O-Train Line 1, is a light rail line operated by OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, as part of the city's O-Train light rail system. It opened on September 14, 2019, and is O-Train's second line. It operates on an east–west route, with a segment under Queen Street in the downtown core, complementing the north–south Trillium Line that operates to the west of the downtown core. Using light rail rolling stock and technology, the Confederation Line is completely grade separated.
The Capital Line is a light rail line on the Edmonton LRT system. The line operates from northeast Edmonton to the south. Operated by the Edmonton Transit Service, the line provides access to Downtown Edmonton and the University of Alberta. The Capital Line currently consists of fifteen stations, six of which are underground. Seven stations are shared with the Metro Line.
The Valley Line is a low-floor urban light rail line in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The 13.1-kilometre (8.1 mi) line runs southeast from downtown at 102 Street stop to Mill Woods Town Centre at Mill Woods stop and connects to the Capital and Metro lines at Churchill station, downtown. The line is being constructed in phases, with phase 1 being the current open 12-station portion between 102 Street and Mill Woods that commenced operations on November 4, 2023. The second phase, consisting of the 14-kilometre (8.7 mi), 16-station portion between 102 Street and Lewis Farms, began construction in 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2028. Upon completion, the entire Valley Line is expected to serve more than 100,000 commuters daily, nearly matching the current Capital Line and Metro Line in terms of capacity and ridership.
The Metro Rail Transit Line 7, also known as MRT Line 7 or MRT-7, is a rapid transit line under construction in the Philippines. When completed, the line will be 22.8 kilometers (14.2 mi) long, with 14 stations, and the first line to have a third rail electrification. The line runs in a northeast–southwest direction, beginning at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan up to the North Triangle Common Station in North Avenue, Quezon City.
Urban rail transit in Canada encompasses a broad range of rail mass transit systems, including commuter rail, rapid transit, light rail, and streetcar systems.
Blatchford Gate station is a non-operational Edmonton LRT station in Edmonton, Alberta. It will serve the Metro Line and will be the northern terminus station until the line is further extended. The station is located in the northeastern section of the developing Blatchford community, and west of the Westwood neighbourhood. The station was completed in December 2023 as part of 1.6 km (0.99 mi) Metro Line Northwest Phase 1 extension. The station however, will not open for passenger service until a later unknown date due to a lack of demand.
Metro Line to open in early 2015
The Metro Line has seen a series of failures over the past four years, working through delays and a slower LRT schedule due to a semifunctional signalling system.
However, the report does note that if the contract fails, the city has developed an alternate signalling system that will replace Thales's Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system to make sure that Edmontonians don't lose any service on the Metro Line.