Edmonton Public Transit

[buildings]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

When all you do is — exhaust from refinery stacks, you don't think quite like other people...

no need for that sort of comment.

[Hardhatdan]

Originally Posted by buildings

no need for that sort of comment.

Ah no fun at the expense of the flatburb?

Share that industrial tax base with the rest of the region and I'll stop poking fun!

[Coldrsx]

Valley Line LRT awaiting more testing.


https://twitter.com/uptown_one/status/1571836510277894145


The Cat on SRC
https://edmonton.skyrisecities.com/forum...-lrt-m-s-city-of-edmonton.24534/page-256

[Coldrsx]

Another good read on the new line.

https://urbanaffairs.ca/frankly/walking-to-the-valley-line-lrt/

[GenWhy?]

I'm reserving judgement for when they finish cleaning it up and I can access the platforms to ride. Looks fine and normal to me so far. Landscaping looks great too along 66st and 83 st

Onyl gripe is them keeping the access road along 85st - such a bad auto-centric move

[Coldrsx]

Prairie Sky Gondola - 'not dead'.

https://urbanaffairs.ca/edmonton-ish/prairie-sky-gondola-ceo-this-project-is-not-dead/

[Rocket252]

Valley Line Update.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-445Kk8mY0

Maybe we can all pitch in and buy some heavy duty jacks at Canadian Tire for support of the columns.

[Coldrsx]

Incredibly frustrating to hear and still quite vague commitments on the what, when, how and actual opening timelines.

[DKaz]

There's going to be lane and road closures surrounding affected piers until January 2023 if that helps a little.

[Coldrsx]

Express bus from airport to downtown seen as business boost

By Mack Male


An express bus from the Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to downtown could become a reality if city council approves the idea during the upcoming 2023-2026 budget deliberations.

“I’ve been hearing very strongly from the airport and the downtown business community that this service is needed,” Coun. Anne Stevenson told Taproot. She is expected to make a motion as early as Oct. 7 to request an unfunded service package for council’s consideration.

Stevenson said she had previously been skeptical of the need given the existence of the Route 747 service, which runs from Century Park to YEG seven days a week at either 30- or 60-minute intervals, depending on the time of day. “I felt the transfer to the LRT at Century Park was reasonable.”

But a couple of factors caused her to rethink that position. “I heard from the business community that it might be a barrier to having events come downtown,” Stevenson said. “And I learned that a majority of taxi rides from the airport are to downtown.”

In fact, about half of all taxi trips from YEG head to downtown, a spokesperson confirmed to Taproot.

Brett Bain, director of parking and ground transportation at YEG, said the airport is supportive of the idea, in part because it would benefit employees who need to get to the airport for work.

“As a regional partner in transit, creating a direct route to Edmonton’s downtown core will also help to strengthen business and tourism opportunities,” he said in a statement. “As we continue to grow as an airport and a region, more transit services will be needed and this direct route to downtown is a natural next step in our regional transit journey.”

Stevenson said she wasn’t sure where the downtown terminus of the service might be, but suggested locating it close to hotels and convention space would make sense. “My expectation is that it would be informed by input from downtown partners.”

https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2022/...1302&mc_cid=2fb6e07553&mc_eid=b81cde227f

[Rocket252]

^ How about setting up a downtown bus/transit terminal where we can get some coordination of services with city transportation and private outfits like Red Arrow and ebus?

Or does this make too much sense?

[DKaz]

Like a Union Station. It's really too bad the VIA Rail station is in the middle of nowhere now.

[Rocket252]

If our city has an ounce of vision the area around CN Tower could have been developed into a transportation hub with exiting rail access already available at the time.

Opportunity lost.

A common theme with this city.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Did CN Rail leave downtown Edmonton willingly and freely, or were they forced out by the city?

[ciudad_del_norte]

CN and CP have federal mandates and generally are a lot more powerful than municipal governments. My understanding is that the city typically can barely get allowance for rail crossings and can't do much if the railways say no. I'd be very suprised if the city would have been able to succesfully bring about that type of change.

[ciudad_del_norte]

Same reason that I am curious about what happens with the Metro Line extension to the NW, the crossing of the rail yards there is not going to be easy or cheap because CN pretty much has the standing to make any demands they want.

[Coldrsx]

I vote yes for this service to YEG with an improved receiving station next to the library on 101st/102ave next to Churchill LRT, ECC, Westin, Sandman, even Lacombe, RHW etc. and then have it loop around to 105st with a top at Jasper/105st for the Coast, HI, Quality Inn etc. before it heads back.

You could even have a quick stop just north of Whyte to tie into buses going E/W (to the UofA) and or simply a nice connection for backpackers.

I hereby decree that we call this service the 'DTX'.

[Coldrsx]

https://twitter.com/uptown_one/status/1579457663255326721

[stilicho]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

I vote yes for this service to YEG with an improved receiving station next to the library on 101st/102ave next to Churchill LRT, ECC, Westin, Sandman, even Lacombe, RHW etc. and then have it loop around to 105st with a top at Jasper/105st for the Coast, HI, Quality Inn etc. before it heads back.

You could even have a quick stop just north of Whyte to tie into buses going E/W (to the UofA) and or simply a nice connection for backpackers.

I hereby decree that we call this service the 'DTX'.

You can already get to YEG using public transit but the problem is scheduling. I've had to arrange a cab ride at the last minute in spite of planning because of plane delays or re-scheduling. No public option will ever take that into account.

Regarding the effect of the CP and CN rail lines on the development of Edmonton and urban residential zones. The neighbourhood now known as Oliver (but in the process of being renamed) was always cut off from the rest of Edmonton by a box roughly bound by the North Saskatchewan River, Groat Ravine, the CN rail yards, and the CP rail yards--counterclockwise from the South.

When both the CN and CP properties were redeveloped over the past two decades there was a huge opportunity for city planners (several of whom have since been rewarded with political posts) to supervise the integration of Oliver with the rest of the city by means of wide and accessible corridors.

Instead, the CN yards were clumped together and developed as commercial and institutional barriers while the CP properties running roughly along the east side of 109 St became unimaginative condos. Soon the West LRT Valley Line will impose again a rail barrier to confine the community of Oliver within the downtown-adjacent area.

The consequences will be seen over the next couple decades. As everyone can see, the new residential towers in Oliver are designed for motorists and not for pedestrians or others. None of them are connected to existing or future planned mass transit nodes. There are a few exceptions but even the newer buildings around 112 St are set far back from the 104 Avenue transit corridor as if to insulate future residents from transit instead of to promote alternatives to vehicle use.

Finally, of course, if there is such a demand for YEG to downtown transit, why does the route serving YEG stop at Century Park instead of going all the way downtown? And why is the schedule so erratic? Isn't this the real issue instead of creating a brand new service? Are there published cost benefit studies to support the public financing of a competitor to existing taxi services?

[Hallsy's Toupee]

A direct bus route between and downtown and YEG is still required to bring back business travelers and conferences

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/...-edmonton-downtown-and-airport-1.6604572

An Edmonton city councillor wants a direct, express bus route between the city's downtown and the airport.

Ward O'day-min Coun. Anne Stevenson, whose ward includes downtown, made the motion at the city council meeting on Friday, asking administration to look into funding and viability of the project. The motion passed.

She had previously told CBC's Edmonton AM on Monday that she's heard from stakeholders who say Edmonton misses out on big conferences and events because there is no direct connection to the airport from the city's downtown core.

"Apparently it's a deal-breaker," she said.

"For people who are unfamiliar with the new city, a transfer point can be a bit intimidating and they're really looking for that direct connection."

Bus route 747 is the current option for Edmontonians to get to the airport using transit. It runs every half hour from 4:10 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. from Century Park LRT station in the city's southwest. It costs $5 or two ETS Adult tickets.

Calgary has Route 300 that connects Calgary International Airport to Centre Street in the city's downtown. The bus ride costs $10.75.

Vancouver added Canada Line to its rapid transit rail right before the 2010 Olympics to connect the airport to its downtown core.

Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the downtown business association, was one of the stakeholders who strongly advocated for the direct bus route during discussions around regional transit.

She said she had heard from conference organizers that "it's often a huge detractor and an obstacle for Edmonton when we are trying to attract those major events."

She said telling conference or event goers that they would either have to spend about $80 roundtrip to take a cab or have to change buses on a 90-minute trip to get to downtown does not go over well. And arranging shuttle service to match people's flights is often a logistical nightmare.

She said Edmonton was a contender to host the Rotary International Conference but lost out due to the lack of direct connection from the airport to downtown.