Following recent shutdowns of Edmonton's LRT system for signalling system tests required for the Metro Line extension, the city of Edmonton has received a great deal of handover material from its contractor, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions Inc., and remains cautiously optimistic for a spring 2015 opening.
"This morning we received much of the documentation required from Thales for handover of the Metro Line signalling system to city control," said Dorian Wandzura, general manager, transportation services. "Now that Thales has initiated the handover, our next step is to review and evaluate the documentation, which should take approximately one week."
"Since the beginning of this project, Thales has been, and remains, committed to meeting its obligations for Edmonton's Metro Line. As promised back in January, we are happy to report that we have submitted our Safety Certificate and Handover material to the City today. Our collaboration with the City will continue in the coming days and weeks to ensure Edmonton's residents get the state-of-the-art Metro control system they deserve," said Mark Halinaty, Thales Canada president and CEO.
The signalling system is essential to the overall safe operation of the Metro Line. The city's primary duty is to public safety and handover of the signalling system cannot be completed until the city has sufficiently evaluated all safety aspects.
Once handover of the Metro Line is complete, the city will need approximately six weeks to complete staff training and other preparations before bringing the Metro Line into safe, efficient and reliable public service.
"I want to thank Edmontonians for their patience and understanding as we work with Thales to achieve the earliest possible opening for the Metro Line," said Wandzura. "Safety continues to be the top priority for Metro Line operations, and we will continue to scrutinize safety aspects every step of the way."
The Metro Line represents the next major step towards transforming Edmonton's transportation system. It is expected to add 13,200 weekday riders to Edmonton's LRT network and link major destinations like NAIT, the Royal Alexandra Hospital and MacEwan University to the rest of the network.
