Edmonton Public Transit

[Hardhatdan]

I hate the line going all over the place...just make it a straight shot up 106th please.
McEwan station being not right at the school worries me. People are inherently lazy.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

I hate the line going all over the place...just make it a straight shot up 106th please.
McEwan station being not right at the school worries me. People are inherently lazy.

A straight line via 106 Street is the obvious route they would have pursued, but there is more to why it is aligned the way it is.

RE: Macewan Station - It's still within walking distance when you add the standard 400m catchment radius.

[IKAN104]

It's within walking distance of one corner of the school. If the station is there for MacEwan then it should be closer to the center of the school (ideally).

What is the reason that 106 is being avoided?

[MrOilers]

Originally Posted by 0773|=\

I do wonder if maybe some of these stations should be directly under their respective buildings, for example, build a station underneath Grant MacEwan campus so that students don't even have to leave the building to hop on the LRT, just take an elevator or stairs. Would the price tag of this be worth it to avoid ruining the integrity of some of these older neighbourhoods?

These parts of the older neighborhoods that the proposed line passes through don't consist of very much interesting stuff. I can also see why this is the line that still reasonably connects all the desired points while being the least intrusive.

They really are smart to take advantage of using the corridor down 104 Street from 107 Ave to Royal Alex - that road is grossly underused and has an abundance of space. The line pretty much has to go there unless they want to alter at least another 3 or 4 city blocks by making the line go up 106 Street.

If I recall correctly from the public presentations, 104 Street was considered as a possible route (which would make a straight line all the way from 105 Ave to Royal Alex), except the cornering near Stationlands would've been excessively sharp and would put too much wear and tear on the cars.

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

I hate the line going all over the place...just make it a straight shot up 106th please.
McEwan station being not right at the school worries me. People are inherently lazy.

1.5 blocks away dan...come on. Hell classes in the school are futher away sometimes.

[feepa]

and it's not just for macewan students, but for the areas from around stationland to 107 ave to 109st...?

[MrOilers]

And if people have no issues using the parkade on one end of campus, crossing 109 street via that long pedway, trekking through the building with the swimming pool, etc. before even getting to classrooms and the rest of the college, having an LRT station on the other side of campus is just as handy.

[big W]

To be honest I would prefer that the MacEwan Station be underground and have the line come out for the Kingsway station. Now I know the costs would be much higher but for the central area I feel an underground line works best for bringing in the community and continuity from downtown north as well as east and west in the area.

[Hardhatdan]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

1.5 blocks away dan...come on. Hell classes in the school are futher away sometimes.

People are lazy. The largest catchment for this line would most likely be students. Putting the station not even "on-campus" for the largest probable group of people seems like a folly to me.

I don't disagree that it isn't that far a stretch. However, for someone who will eventually be over by 110st at the far westend of the Campus, they may continue to drive vs. take the train.

Its just a point I want to raise.

[rapid_business]

random question, can a mod take the poll off this thread?

[newfangled]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

People are lazy. The largest catchment for this line would most likely be students. Putting the station not even "on-campus" for the largest probable group of people seems like a folly to me.

I don't disagree that it isn't that far a stretch. However, for someone who will eventually be over by 110st at the far westend of the Campus, they may continue to drive vs. take the train.

Its just a point I want to raise.

I kindof agree.

I'm not sure why MacEwan needs an LRT exactly, considering that Jasper is only 3 blocks away (although they're long blocks), and lots of students already use it. By putting the new station where it's shown, for a big chunk of the campus it's not much closer than Jasper is.

I've got another question though. 105st is one of the few streets downtown that's busy enough that you can't jay-walk across it (the only others are 109, 101, 97). I don't think I've ever actually driven on 105st north of 104ave, and I honestly have no idea where that traffic is going. Is an at-grade crossing there okay, or will it lead to traffic issues?

[Mikemike]

The problem that i have is that they do the 105-104 swing for the sake of some of the ugliest townhouses in the city. that complex is just one small step up from a trailer park. I'm serious. Walk through there some time. It is a lasting memorial of just how bad downtown was, if this was the best prospect for the property. My preference for NLRT would be direct up 105 St. mercy-kill one row of those beasts (my guess is 7mil total- 1% of the line cost).

I don't like the alley route either, although it's better than 105 with the replacement semi-expressway on 106. The thing is that the shift is to save ONE BLOCK of on street parking and left turns at 106 ave. N of 107 ave there is zero parking access from 105st, it's all from the alley. LRT could be on the street, and the sidewalks could be widened for bikes etc, with hard landscaping so that emergency services can get through once in a blue moon.

For Kingsway station, there does need to be some sort of pedway, especially with 111 and kingsway widened. My choice there would be to put the station just underground (no mezzanine) angling from 105st to 106st, and the station itself would be the pedway, wth entrances north south and centre. That way the roads don't need to be widened or relocated either. The Nait station makes more sense this way. If it's temporary, then use existing ROW, don't demo a curling club and get in a fight with the mall.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by onishenko

random question, can a mod take the poll off this thread?

another random question: Will a mod read your post or mine?

[SHOFEAR]

University drive is closed at 114 this weekend. I noticed the roadway was saw cut yesterday evening. Looks like track is going in.

[feepa]

from C2E...obviously taken then from some where else...

RE: University Avenue Closure for LRT Track Installation
Please be aware that over the upcoming week-end, from Friday May 16 at 7:00 p.m. until Tuesday May 20th at 6:00 a.m. University Avenue will be closed at 114th Street

Crews will work around the clock to instal tracks across University Avenue.

114th Street will remain open to vehicles during this work.

June 2nd until June 5th: 83rd Avenue will be closed on the west side of 114th street for installation of tracks. 114th will continue be open for vehicle access during this time.

[feepa]

http://www.edmonton.ca/RoadsTraffic/LRT%...Sheet-May9-SLRTVehicleDelivery-FINAL.pdf

http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt/...outh+lrt+extension/LRTVehicleArrival.htm

LRT Vehicle #1038 Arrival May 9, 2008 Car #1038, the first of 37 new SD160 Light Rail Vehicles for the South LRT was safely unloaded near Coliseum LRT Station on May 9, 2008.

The vehicle was manufactured by Siemens Canada Ltd in Germany and Sacramento, California. This first car will undergo extensive certification testing and commissioning over the summer to ensure it operates in accordance with the City of Edmonton’s operating requirements and specifications before it goes into service late this year. Future deliveries will be at a rate of two per month.
With a budget of $673 million, the South LRT Extension is the City of Edmonton’s largest infrastructure project. It is jointly funded by the City of Edmonton, Government of Canada and Government of Alberta.

The South LRT Extension is transforming Edmonton by increasing our transportation system’s capacity to meet the needs of a growing population and economy.


Fact Sheet: Car #1038 Arrival

The LRT vehicle was shipped by train from Sacramento, California and was towed to the City's LRT rails at Cromdale, between Stadium and Coliseum stations. A series of jacks on each side of the vehicle were used to raise the LRT vehicle about one foot from the train car below it.

The train car was then pushed out from underneath the LRT vehicle. At nearly 100,000 kg of machinery worth nearly $4 million, this operation was thoroughly planned.

Old meets new! Car #1038 was gently placed on the LRT rails and towed to D.L. MacDonald Maintenance Facility, where it will undergo extensive certification testing and commissioning over the summer to ensure it operates in accordance with the City of Edmonton’s operating requirements and specifications before it goes into service late this year.

As the new cars are coming in, the old cars will go out. Starting this summer, the existing U2 LRT vehicles (also supplied by Seimens Canada Ltd) will be shipped to the United States for upgrades to the interior, exterior, electrical systems and key mechanical components. The current fleet has been in service for up to 30 years, since the original LRT line opened in April, 1978.

[SHOFEAR]

.

[MalcolmTucker]

I am surprised all the overhaul work is being done out of house, let alone out of province and country. From my knowledge, Calgary Transit does all of those things in house, but it is possible that it is not as extensive. I do believe Calgary Transit at some point (within the last two years) decided to let the U2s die and not go for another round of rebuilds.

Just interesting...

and by the by, nice new cars, the extra shrouding on the roof definitely improves the aesthetics, covering up the dc-->ac boxes

[CanadianCentaur]

I wonder what the interiors of ETS's new SD160 LRVs are like. Better than in the U2s, I hope!

[Beltliner]

Figured this page was a little overdue for you folks. Vyesyelityes'!*

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* Have fun!