City of Edmonton begins service on Valley Line Southeast LRT

The city of Edmonton, Alberta’s, Valley Line Southeast light-rail transit (LRT) began service on Nov. 4. The project was delivered by TransEd, a consortium comprised of Alstom, along with Bechtel, EllisDon and Fengate. The city of Edmonton is expecting the Southeast LRT to serve about 30,000 riders daily. 

The Valley Line Southeast LRT is an integral part of achieving the City Plan and will provide more accessible, convenient and sustainable travel options for Edmontonians over the coming decades. The City Plan aims for a future where 50 percent of trips are made by transit and active transportation. 

The 13-kilometer (8.1-mile) system connects Mill Woods to downtown Edmonton via rail for the first time, stopping at 11 new neighborhood stops, with direct connections to multiple bus lines. Three new bridges, including the new multipath eight-meter (26.2-foot) wide Tawatinâ Bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.  

A tunnel was also built as part of the project. The elevated Davies Station offers direct access to the 1,300-space Park & Ride and multi-modal transit center. Transit riders may also easily transfer to the Capital Line and Metro Line light-rail lines at the Churchill Station. 

Alstom played a pivotal role in the design, supply, installation and testing and commissioning of the light-rail vehicles (LRVs), signaling, communications, power supply and distribution, overhead catenary system and related depot equipment for the Southeast LRT. The 26 Flexity LRVs, each capable of carrying up to 275 passengers along the system, offers a 100 percent low-floor design, ensuring easy access and a comfortable ride for all passengers. Step-free boarding is an important part of the enhanced passenger experience for people with reduced mobility, wheelchairs, mobility aids and strollers. 

“Alstom is proud to celebrate this important milestone with the city of Edmonton and our partners. We look forward to serving the citizens of Edmonton with a world-class LRT service for years to come,” said Michael Keroullé, president and CEO of Alstom Americas. 

“Today marks a historic achievement for the city of Edmonton, which is now home to an accessible, reliable and sustainable urban-style LRT line that rival those of other world-class cities,” said Darren Mort, president of Bechtel Infrastructure.  “Across the globe, Bechtel is connecting people and communities. We’re proud of this project and grateful to TransEd and the city of Edmonton for their partnership.” 

During the height of construction, more than 1,000 workers were on site. The project awarded 83 percent of the subcontracts and 75 percent of the purchase orders to Canadian-based firms and vendors.  

“Bechtel is proud of its role in leading the TransEd Design Build team to deliver this new sustainable transportation project to the city of Edmonton,” said Bechtel’s Edmonton Light-rail Project Manager Andy Gillespie.