Atrocious and annoying ambient soundtrack to accompany a largely excuse-filled ramble. Will the project be fulfilled under budget and on time? That's the only question you need to answer if you're a project manager. It's cute that a lot of apprentice workmen were hired but that's not exactly your objective.

The Edmonton Insight Community sent out a survey last month about Bus Rapid Transit. This is noteworthy.

The tramway was supposed to replace BRT but nowhere in the survey was that assertion challenged or in any way addressed.

Our own SSP fellow forumer, softee
Aka Walking YouTuber The Ken Continuum recently traveled to Edmonton

He rode the LRT
• Video Link

He also did a 40 min walk along Jasper Ave
• Video Link

Took the LRT from Century Park to Corona last night for the game. Overall a good experience at CP, except that one of the two ARC machines didn't accept CC.

My oh my was the ride from CP to UofA slow and had 2-3 stops or super slow areas for no apparent reason.

Corona station SE entrance by First Edmonton Place was disgusting at street level, one entrance boarded up and the plaza in front of Timmy's awful and full of garbage and broken windows. What an impression.

The last time I rode Edmonton's LRT was a decade ago and it was in decent shape.

What happened?

Hi all 👋 First time post. I am a Edmontonian who wants to continue to enhance our city. Looking forward to contributing value where I can on this forum.

When I last rode the LRT about 2 years ago there was no credit card option at Bay/Enterprise station, only cash and coins. Please tell me this has been rectified to keep up with modern times? If not, I’ll write a letter to the city.

They have since implemented ARC (https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/fares-passes) and rectified that, but one of the machines was down at CP and that caused all sorts of confusion and delays for those trying to use it and then having to line up behind the other.

It still is, there is just the occasional riff raff in and around the station entrances and sometimes platforms since there are no turnstiles. Covid also made things worse, as it did in all major cities globally.

I reload from home so I've never used the ARC dispensation interfaces. When I was in Vancouver just a few weeks ago their pass worked intermittently too. It rejected my CC but accepted my debit card. No reason.

The line towards Century Park sometimes experiences delays around Jubilee and I think that's because it's the terminus of one route and a timing point for the other. Just imagine a bus stop where two bus routes coincide but neither can depart until the other one has arrived.

When I was in Vancouver I saw a few sketchy people near the Main Street stop but that's almost expected. They were the comical television portrayal of homeless people with backpacks and slightly dramatic speech patterns and gestures. Edmonton's station entrances downtown are typically clogged with visibly disturbed people who give you that look that suggests you're about to be stabbed if you return their gaze in just the wrong way.

It's wise to wear a hoodie and other such garb on and around Edmonton's LRT to avoid giving the impression that you have any cash on you.

How Do We Get a Handle on Our Big Projects?
Timothy Cartmell Timothy Cartmell | June 10, 2024

https://www.timcartmell.ca/how_do_we...r_big_projects

LOL... Tim. The Maintenance facility is needed for the entire existing lines and future extensions, and eats up a bulk of the cost. You lost the point of 'only serves 2 stations' once you get into the real facts.

Looks like we now know he's a contender for the Mayor's Chair......

What made it jump almost a quarter billion?

Cost for Edmonton Capital Line LRT south extension balloons by $242 million, council approves in secret!!!!!

What do you mean in Secret???? This mayor and council need to go asap. Unbelievable.

Honestly, who cares who much it is up since 2021.

Where do we sit compared to say 2000-2010-2019? and how does that factor in growth of usage if you factor in population growth?

I have an odd feeling that they would not want to do those calculations...

---
Transit ridership up 130 per cent
June 12, 2024

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) monthly ridership has grown by over 3 million, or 130 per cent, since spring 2021, continuing one of the strongest post-pandemic ridership recoveries in the country.

Starting in April 2021, when ETS launched its current bus network, year-over-year monthly ridership has increased for 37 consecutive months. For example, monthly ridership jumped from 2.3 million in April 2021, to 3.3 million in April 2022, 4.3 million in April 2023, and 5.2 million in April 2024. Ridership reached 5.3 million in May 2024.

“I am so pleased to see more riders returning or discovering transit as a viable option to connect them with the places and people they love. It’s a testament to the work that focuses on improving the rider experience that helps move more people throughout the city, whether it’s for a special event such as the Stanley Cup playoffs or a summer festival, or day-to-day commutes for work and play,” said Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, Branch Manager of Edmonton Transit Service.

The launch of the Valley Line Southeast LRT has been one of several contributing factors. In the first six months of Valley Line Southeast service, ridership has grown from 138,000 monthly riders in November 2023 to 223,000 monthly riders in April 2024. Currently, Valley Line Southeast, which runs from Mill Woods to Downtown, represents around 13 per cent of total LRT ridership.

In late 2023, through investments from Council, ETS was also able to grow the bus network for the first time since the 2015/16 budget. This included adding 70,000 new annual service hours previously allocated to Valley Line Southeast precursor bus service. As a result, ETS added more off-peak and frequent service to enhance flexibility for riders.

As Edmonton continues to grow, and the needs of transit riders change, ETS continually analyzes transit performance to ensure it remains efficient and effective for riders. This includes making service adjustments five times each year, based on transit data, rider feedback, seasonal changes and ridership growth. ETS conducts numerous rider research programs and has expanded partnerships to help ensure its service meets the needs of all riders.
 
For more information:
edmonton.ca/TransitReports

Media contact:
Brieanne Graham
Communications Advisor
City Operations
780-613-3496

the numbers before the pandemic don't really matter... It's a different world now for many in terms of commuting patterns.

City awards Design-Build contract for Capital Line South LRT Extension project
June 12, 2024

The City of Edmonton has awarded the Design-Build contract for Phase 1 of the Capital Line South Extension project from Century Park to north of Ellerslie Road.

The City completed negotiations and formally awarded the contract to Capital Line Design-Build Ltd., a member of the Ledcor Group of Companies, with AECOM as their design partner. Over the coming months, the Ledcor team will begin detailed design with major construction along 111 Street anticipated to begin in 2025. Phase 1 of the project is a 4.5-kilometre, high-floor LRT extension along the west side of 111 Street and includes:

An LRT underpass at 23 Avenue
Two bridges (one across Blackmud Creek and one across Anthony Henday Drive)
Two stations (Twin Brooks station and Heritage Valley North station connecting to the Heritage Valley Transit Centre and Park and Ride)
An Operations and Maintenance Facility (south of Anthony Henday Drive)
Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs)

“Our city is experiencing rapid growth,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “As more people choose to call Edmonton home, we need to respond to the added pressure on our transportation network. The Capital Line South Extension will help improve sustainable mobility options as we grow to a city of two million by increasing ridership capacity and providing additional transportation options to communities in south Edmonton.”

Ledcor was selected as the preferred bidder in April 2024. Contract negotiations between the City and the preferred bidder occurred throughout April and May to ensure a robust project agreement was in place to protect Edmontonians’ interests and deliver value.

“The Capital Line South Extension project is a critical addition to our LRT network,” said Craig Walbaum, Acting Deputy City Manager, Integrated Infrastructure Services. “This project has been many years in the making and delivers on The City Plan goals of improving how we move people quickly, efficiently and sustainably along our transportation corridors. We look forward to working with Ledcor to bring this transformational infrastructure to life.”

“Building on Ledcor’s 75-year legacy of serving Edmontonians, we are thrilled to be chosen by the City of Edmonton, with our design partner AECOM, to construct this vital new phase of public transit which will serve the city's growing population for many decades to come”, said Brad Mytko, SVP Infrastructure, Ledcor Group. “With passion and dedication, we will deliver a successful project, ensuring safety every step of the way.”

In addition to expanding the city’s mass transit infrastructure, the Capital Line South Extension project will deliver a range of benefits locally, regionally and nationally. An economic assessment estimates the extension will generate 9,500 full-time jobs and $1 billion in wages and salaries through construction, operations and maintenance. The project is also projected to generate $88 million in tax revenue for Alberta and $211 million for the rest of Canada over 30 years.

The $1.34 billion project has funding commitments from the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton. Over the coming months, the City will continue to advocate to funding partners for additional funding contributions to help ease future tax implications for Edmontonians.
 
For more information:
edmonton.ca/projects_plans/transit/capital-line-south

Media contact:
Jyllian Park
Communications Advisor
Integrated Infrastructure Services
780-554-9001

Jennifer Villeneuve
Communications Manager
Ledcor

This, commuting patterns WORLDWIDE have changed since the pandemic, especially in cities with employment concentrated in city centers. Numbers from even 2019 won't really be a relevant comparison, we need to compare from 2022 (or so) onwards since most offices switched to hybrid work models.

Glad to see "An LRT underpass at 23 Avenue, Two bridges (one across Blackmud Creek and one across Anthony Henday Drive)"