The point being with the funds available at this time the extension south of Ellerslie road will generate more value with a hospital, town centre and a high school, which is already built, generating significant ridership. The density in that area is already very high and will far surpass any neighbourhood in Castle Downs.
If value is being calculated on a strict capital investment and the return on that through fares that discussion could be had and I don't claim to know if the Griesbach/Castledowns area would generate higher ridership than the new neighborhoods in the deep south. What I will provide my personal opinion on is the value to the users. I would argue that improved transit connections is far more important to existing & mature neighborhoods and the people that live there than it is to a new neighborhood on the outskirts. My two main reasons for this point would be 1. Using LRT as a catalyst for redevelopment of older and more central neighborhoods, & 2. I would suggest a lower percentage of individuals buying on the outskirts are doing so without the intention to rely too heavily on strong transit connections.
That multi-use path connection is another factor that work in favour of the project for sure.
Shoot, I have school during that time so I couldn't unfortunately
Here's how I'd phrase the dichotomy happening right now: The Capital Line phase 2 extension makes more sense from a strictly logical sense of view, being much less expensive to construct and yet having much stronger ridership growth and development potential. From these points it's obvious that it should go first, however there's other dimensions here that I'd argue are just as important. Investment in existing and maturing areas, equitable transit access, "15-minute communities", and redevelopment potential all play into the hands of the Metro Line, aligning with what I understand are the goals for Edmonton rather than always pushing suburban growth first, as it has been.
Just out of curiosity, is anyone in here thinking of, or already registered to, speak at the mass transit event on feb 15th? Despite the views in here, obviously forward thinking ideas like not incentivizing suburban sprawl arent making it to the people running the show
Let’s Put Edmonton’s Metro Line Northwest LRT Back on Track! — Erin Rutherford
Hey folks, let’s talk about transit and the disappointing report that came out last week regarding the Metro Line Northwest LRT expansion.www.erinrutherford.ca
Honestly, as nice as LRT service to the airport sounds, I think it's a travesty to disfavor the local neighbourhood service in the Northwest that LRT is designed for in favor of misappropriating this transit technology as shuttle to an airport that is 30 km away from Downtown. The city's obsession with getting the LRT to reach the airport as soon as possible is blinding them to better modes of rail service to EIA. If we want to service the airport, we should enter track sharing agreement with Canadian Pacific, build some basic stations and park n rides along Gateway Blvd and a branch track from the CPR corridor in Leduc to the airport terminal. Then, we could run diesel multiple units on a regional rail service to the airport that is analogous to the Trillium Line and could be implemented in a relatively short time. In the meantime, LRT progression towards the airport should be incremental, expanding at the same rate as urban development in the new annexation lands.
I think that's the City's plan though. The City Plan identifies a regional train along gateway that connects to the airport, not the capital line. If they do that, even MORE the case to build the central line, as the regional line would likely have an initial stop on/near Whyte.
It's not a train anymore, it's a bus service as per the Mass Transit Plan that went to Council recently.