New Edmonton LRT line rolls on despite problems
November 12, 2015
After a 17-month delay and plagued by problems from software issues to commuter congestion, the newest Edmonton LRT line officially opened during the Labour Day weekend. And it doesn’t look like the issues surrounding the new Metro Line, which connects part of northwest Edmonton to downtown, will be going away any time soon.
The first week alone, the line was affected by overcrowding and a faulty coupling that connected two passenger rail cars. Traffic congestion on at least one major artery that the line intersects, leaving vehicular traffic waiting several minutes for each train to cross at a sloth-like 25 km per hour — half the speed it was designed to travel.
Part of the problem with the new Edmonton LRT line was in the planning process, especially with traffic congestion, when one station was moved before a traffic study could be conducted. A city audit released in August blamed poor communication between city council, administration and levels of planning, management and construction for the snafus in the $53-million project. Interestingly, within a week of the line’s opening, council fired its city manager.
But the heart of the matter lies in the coordination of two different signal systems, says Graeme McElheran, the city’s communications manager for transportation services. The new Metro line uses a communication-based train control system, which pinpoints a train’s track position and was installed by signal contractor Thales Canada. The software works differently from the full-block system on the existing Capital line, which McElheran says works on the basis of a station being empty before another train can enter.
“It is the integration of the communication-based train control system with the fixed block system that has been challenging,” says McElheran.
The LRT debacle has been a major black eye for Mayor Don Iveson, who made expansion of public transportation a major plank in his platform when running for the city’s top job in 2013 — and part of his dream to convert Edmonton into a more sustainable city. It’s also made realtor Wendi Freudenreich’s job a lot tougher.
“I’ve had deals fall apart because of transit lines, as nobody likes to live by a transit zone because of the noise from construction that’s gone on for far too long,” she says. “As well, congestion of traffic will definitely play a role in where people choose to live, if it turns out that an inefficient LRT line crosses where they want to commute.”
Despite a war of words between city council and Thales, McElheran says the company will stay on board to help iron out all the bugs, which will eventually decrease station wait times and bring transit rail speed up to 50 km per hour, although time lines for those goals remain uncertain. Long term plans include expanding the Metro Line through Blatchford Park (which when built, is touted to be one of the world’s largest sustainable neighbourhoods) and further northward to the city of St. Albert.
Images courtesy the City of Edmonton
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About Gene Kosowan
Gene Kosowan is a freelance journalist based in Edmonton. His work has been featured in such publications as Avenue Edmonton, Alberta Venture and the Edmonton Journal.