Rode the line over the long weekend and timed my ride. Definitely the 30 minutes end-to-end that was talked about. Was just a short walk to the station so that helped and we didn't check arrival times.

Maybe I'm used to the older LRT cars, but it felt so smooth and quiet and the traffic light timing was on-point. Even as a car driver through the track areas I didn't notice delays at major intersections.

I really enjoyed being able to jaywalk in and out of the stations.

There are two huge parking lots on either side of the street next to the the Quarters LRT stop.

They would be perfect for some nice 3-5 story multi-use residential projects and a great catalyst to help spur more development in the area.

Yup, let's hope that happens. Doesn't have to be fancy, just some market rentals there.

Curious why would the new Quarters LRT stop spur adjacent development versus the empty lots next to Corona Station in an arguably better area?

Once again (and I'm getting tired of repeating this to you people) - those empty lots will be turned into Warehouse Park.

Corona LRT station opened in 1983. Land expropriation for the park began in 2017. That land had been available for development spurred on by an LRT station for 34 years before the park was ever in the equation.

My question stands

once again, those lots sat vacant for 34 years because of bad policy in Edmonton... and then the city decided to buy those lots...

There was zero emphasis on transit orientated neighbourhoods 1990s and early 2000s. People didn't care about driving their gas guzzling SUV from their McManson in the suburbs to get to work.

As posted by Northlands on SRC:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2284626499675

Some quick highlights:
-In 2019 they replaced a pier by Davies station. (To me this indicates they had concrete issues with the piers right off the bat and absolutely gambled that the rest would be OK rather than redoing)
-In 2019 part of the concrete on Tawatina bridge deck had to be replace
-Also in 2019 Quarters tunnel concrete wall lining had to be redone (and there was some sort of serious safety issue as well, which aligns with what I heard about the tunnel construction management)
-In 2018 they had to stop work on the Churchill connector after they accidentally cut rebar in the existing Churchill station
-2022 traction power substation didn’t meet the Canadian Electrical Code
-The City was concerned about TransEd’s financial situation to the point they contacted the Feds regarding it

Wow.
---

A CBC investigation into the safety record of TransEd, the consortium that built the $1.8-billion Valley Line Southeast LRT found that injury rates for project workers spiked to more than five times the industry average in 2020. While TransEd has not released its project-wide records publicly, it provided CBC with limited data showing 283 near miss incidents, 350 first aid incidents, 93 medical treatment cases, 14 lost workday cases, and 15 public safety incidents. In a statement, TransEd spokesperson Dallas Lindskoog said records “indicate that TransEd partner companies and all the subcontractors that work for them ... exceed OHS averages and industry norms.” Workplace safety expert Christopher Coles said “a lack of transparency when it comes to health and safety statistics is concerning.”
-Taproot

A pretty big tell on private partners on P3s: can they actually come up with the financing that they promise? And the answer, especially after the 2008 market crash, is that this ability seems increasingly tenuous at best.

I agree.....Look out below.

What prompted them to contact the Feds? Trust in Fengate's ability to secure the debt? Mounting liens? Outstanding payments to suppliers? When did the City realize this wasn't an issue? Sounds like CBC trying to dig up dirt to me.

Hey guys, I just heard that the much anticipated, much delayed Valley LRT line is open!
What's the verdict?

I wasn't sure about the low floor cars but love that they chose Bombardier/Alstom Flexity. They work great in Toronto's streetcar system (and Waterloo ion) although I gather they may be a different sub model or at least 2 car configuration. Can they ever be 3 car trains? (Apologies for ignorance).

Exciting times for Edmonton and ETS and LRT in Canada overall :tup: :cheers:

3 cars would be too long for blocks downtown and elsewhere...

part of the reason they built the original line underground downtown.

Yeah I forget how long these Flexity trains are.
I'd love to hear from any forumers that have ridden it. I hope it meets or exceeds expectations.

I would say it met my expectations of what It was supposed to be "at birth" when I rode it for the 1st time. It exceed my expectations over the course of its construction and getting folks nervous about delivery (like Ottawa).

I enjoyed absolutely everything about the ride from walking to the station in my parents neighbourhood, to the speed, the fluidity of the ride going through intersections, boarding, and comfort of the ride in general (jerking around and noise etc).

Not to mention the physical feature of it in these older areas where elevated / undergrounding some sections would create deeper divides between residential areas and commercial like Bonnie Doon mall.

GenWhy,

I'm glad to hear it meets your expectations and that you enjoyed the ride. I hope Edmonton can have one of the best public transit systems in the country. It already seems decent overall.
Even Toronto has much improvements, expansions to make (a few underway) after decades of languishing. The Flexity streetcars have been a great addition.

I look forward to future ETS LRT expansions and watching the ridership increase.

If you think the Valley Line LRT to Millwoods is great, just you wait until it is extended to WEM. We've been dying for an LRT extension to WEM since the mall opened about 40 years ago. It will finally be operational in about 4 years, assuming there are no snafus.

Meanwhile, the Metro Line is expanding north to Blatchford and will eventually terminate near St. Albert, and the Capital Line will extend further south until it (hopefully) terminates at the international airport.

Yeah I'm looking forward to it

What's the current timeline for expected completion of all these extensions?