The Valley Line is a low-floor urban light rail line in Edmonton, Alberta. 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 connecting to the Capital and Metro lines at Churchill station in 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.[5][6][3][7] Upon completion of the entire line, the Valley Line is expected to serve more than 100,000 commuters daily,[8] nearly matching the current Capital Line and Metro Line in terms of capacity and ridership.
Unlike the other trains in the system, the Valley Line operates low-floor Bombardier Flexity Freedom trains, which were first designed for Line 5 Eglinton in Toronto.[9] Forty other new low-floor light rail vehicles were ordered in 2021 from Hyundai Rotem for the Valley Line, to be put in service when Phase 2 to Lewis Farms opens.[10]
Valley Line Southeast (Downtown to Mill Woods)
Inside a Valley Line light rail vehicle (LRV) as it travels toward Mill Woods, 2023
Planning studies for an LRT route from downtown to Mill Woods began in early 2009.[11] In December 2009, Edmonton City Council approved a new low-floor train route that would leave a new ground-level station at Churchill Square on 102 Avenue between 100 and 99 Streets before stopping in The Quarters redevelopment on 102 Avenue between 97 Street and 96 Street. From here the route enters a tunnel and travels beneath 95 Street descending into the river valley to cross the North Saskatchewan River on the new Tawatinâ Bridge,[12] east of Louise McKinney Park. The route then climbs the hill adjacent to Connors Road then proceeds east along 95 Avenue and southbound at 85 Street. The route travels southbound along 85 Street, crossing the intersection north of Bonnie Doon Mall and shifting to 83 Street, continuing south and east. Just north of Argyll Road, the line is lifted onto an elevated guideway over Davies Industrial. Finally, the line proceeds south along 75/66 Street until it reaches Mill Woods Town Centre. Within this line the proposed stops are: Quarters, Muttart, Strathearn, Holyrood, Bonnie Doon, Avonmore, Davies (to include a bus terminal and park & ride),[13] Millbourne/Woodvale, Grey Nuns, and Mill Woods Town Centre. The maintenance and storage of vehicles for the line is at the Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility (opened in 2018), at Whitemud Drive and 75 Street.[14]
On June 1, 2011, City Council approved $39 million in funding to proceed with preliminary engineering for the Valley Line.[11] In November 2011 City Council voted to allocate $800 million to the project, with the hopes of starting construction by 2014 and an expected completion date of 2018.[15] A funding plan was approved in October 2012 in which the city would contribute $800 million into the project with the remaining $1 billion coming from the provincial and federal governments.[16]
On February 15, 2012, city council approved the Downtown LRT concept plan. The Downtown LRT Project became part of the Southeast to West LRT project.[17] The city hoped to have money in place by the end of 2013 for the $1.8-billion LRT line from downtown to Mill Woods to start construction in 2016. City council committed $800 million, the federal government invested $250 million, and $235 million would come from the provincial government, leaving a $515 million funding gap delaying the project.[18] On March 11, 2014, it was announced that the project would be completely funded[19][20] with an additional $150 million from the federal government and $365 million from the provincial government.[21][22]
Land procurement began in 2011[23] and utility relocation began in 2013,[24][25][26][27] completion of the first stage was expected in 2020.[28][29] The official groundbreaking of the Valley Line was on April 22, 2016.[30][31]
In September 2019, it was revealed that the segment of the line was a year behind schedule of its projected December 2020 opening date. The 2019 construction season posed a challenge to crews due to frequent rain.[32]
In December 2019, completion of the line was pushed back until 2021 after TransEd found a car-sized piece of concrete underneath the north berm of the Tawatinâ Bridge.[33] The line's completion was subsequently delayed to late 2021,[34] then to first quarter of 2022, and again to July 2022.[35][36]
The Churchill connector, which connects the Valley Line and above-ground lines to the Churchill LRT station, under construction
On August 10, 2022, the City of Edmonton and TransEd announced another delay, as inspections in mid-July found cracks in three supporting piers on elevated portions of the line.[37] Further inspections revealed that 30 of the 45 piers were cracked. An initial assessment named lateral thermal expansion as a potential factor in creating the cracks. Later analysis determined that the rebar was inadequate, and ideas were being tested as to how to best repair the piers.[38][39] Before the damaged piers were discovered, trains were being tested on tracks between the Gerry Wright OMF and the Mill Woods stop.[40] During pier remediation, testing took place only on portions of the line that were not elevated.[41] On January 3, 2023, the structural repairs of the cracked pillars were complete, and testing expanded to all sections of the line, including the elevated portions.[42]
On June 26, 2023, TransEd announced they were replacing 140 kilometres (87 mi) of signalling cables in ducts, as some were oxidized. The work started immediately, and was expected to be done from downtown to Whitemud Drive by the end of August. The remaining section south to Mill Woods was slated to be done after the line opened, with the work undertaken at night when no trains are running. On October 24, the City of Edmonton announced that the line would open on November 4 after testing resumed and independent certifiers submitted final approval.[43] The inaugural train had later departed from Mill Woods stop at 5:15 am that morning.[44]
Valley Line West (Downtown to Lewis Farms)
An expansion to Lewis Farms, with the West Edmonton Mall en route, is in the early stages of construction as part of the 27-kilometre (17 mi) Valley Line.
The option approved by Council in 2010 has the west LRT extension run from downtown along 104 Avenue and Stony Plain Road to 156 Street, then south on 156 Street to Meadowlark Health & Shopping Centre, and then west along 87 Avenue to West Edmonton Mall and beyond. Proponents of this route cited opportunities for transit-oriented development.[45][46]
In 2016, the Valley Line West received funding through the Government of Canada’s Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) to review the preliminary design that was completed in 2013. The funding covers work to determine the most appropriate project delivery method (P3, for example) and to develop a business case for construction funding.
The Government of Canada provided approximately $948 million for the Valley Line West expansion, and the Government of Alberta in 2020 committed approximately $1.04 billion for the project.[47] As of 2020[update] the expansion was projected to cost approximately $2.67 billion in total.[48] In 2020, the City of Edmonton selected Marigold Infrastructure Partners to build the western section of the Valley Line, [49] and preparation work, such as the relocation of underground utilities and clearing of land along the route, began. Construction of the line formally commenced on May 27, 2022 and it is expected to be completed in 2028.[3]
Service levels
Trains will initially run every 10 minutes, but will eventually run every 5 minutes at peak times. Service starts daily at 5:15am from the 102 Street stop. From the Mill Woods stop, service starts at 5:00am on weekdays, and 5:15am on weekends. Last trains depart both stops at 1:00am Monday-Saturday, and 12:30am on Sundays.[50]
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