27 km of double track alignment
28 LRT stops
60+ new modern low-floor light-rail vehicles (LRVs)
Two park-and-ride facilities
Challenges
- The new 27-kilometre Valley Line was envisioned to provide communities to the southeast and west with a targeted 30-minute commute to downtown Edmonton.
- It was necessary to collaborate extensively with stakeholders and the public to plan for integration with surrounding communities.
- Station aesthetics were chosen, public art opportunities identified, connections to existing transportation networks found, and impacts minimized where possible.
Solutions
- The concept plan for this extension was approved in 2012.
- The Line was split into two sections to match funding availability: Valley Line Southeast and Valley Line West.
- The Valley Line Southeast was developed as a public-private partnership with Hatch as the technical adviser, a delivery method that offered benefits in cost savings, risk management, and infrastructure warranties.
- The Valley Line West is currently being developed for procurement and is subject to funding.
- The urban-style, low-floor LRT line was designed to integrate seamlessly with Edmonton's streetscape.
- Intensive public-engagement sessions with Edmonton residents shaped the Valley Line's preliminary design and aesthetics.
Highlights
- When the Valley Line is complete, the system is expected to move approximately 5,000 people per hour in each direction.
- The Valley Line will help promote growth in LRT ridership, which has increased by 133 percent in the last decade.
- The line's two park-and-ride facilities, five connections with other transit centers, and traffic-priority status will encourage residents to choose this alternative form of transportation.
- More transit-oriented developments will be concentrated around Valley Line stops to create housing, shopping, and job opportunities within walkable and bikeable communities.
Project numbers
- The City of Edmonton designed a 27 km extension to its light rail transit (LRT) line, known as the Valley Line.
- The full Valley Line system moves approximately 5,000 people per hour, per direction.
- CAD$3.6 billion was the projected cost.