If ETS does not start service to Blatchford station as soon as possible, it will be a slap in the face to the people of Westwood, Delton, Lauderdale, and Killarney who already live close by.
 
EtoV said:
It's better to build it now if we have the ability, than build it down the line. Being a green/brownfield site makes it a lot cheaper and easier, and costs will continue to rise for construction the more you wait.
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Where's the savings? If the city builds the Blatchford Gate station now and then doesn't open it for several years, taxpayers will still be on the hook for years of maintenance, upkeep and security costs. All for a station that wouldn't be used by a single paying passenger.

It's like buying a new vehicle today on the fear that interest rates will rise further, then parking it in your garage and not driving it for four or five years. Does it make sense to pay now for something that nobody will be able to use for years, on the idea of a small savings today?

Don't forget that images of a fenced-off, never-opened Blatchford Gate station would be plastered all over the media for years as "proof" of Edmonton's dysfunctional municipal government.

I don't think this council and the municipal transportation department need to look any more idiotic than they already do, given the fiasco of the Valley Line (and the future fiasco this council has cooked up with its non grade-separated Heritage Valley extension to the Capital Line).
 
This project was probably approved about three or four years ago. I think there will probably be road construction done in proximity to the Blatchford station. Clareview opened around 1981 with a minimalist Clareview Station and a new Clareview neighborhood.
 
It will be interesting to see how construction in Blatchford goes once the line is complete.
 
If they're going to close it in anticipation of future construction they'd better set a really clear threshold for when it will open.
Eg: When the first apartment in Blatchford is completed that's closer to Blatchford Gate than the NAIT station, the station will be opened.
 
was the thinking that blatchford might be further along at this point? That the train would take longer? That this was just what had to happen with the funding to get the NW expansion started? Why does it seem so poorly coordinated?
 
It's almost invariably the case that governments of all levels do a great job of announcing splashy capital projects, but put little thought or money into the operations (as we've seen over and over, that's left to local governments)
 
I don't know why we're considering an early completion of a station a failure. This is far better than what usually occurs in this country. Sure it would be better if it were open day one, but delayed openings aren't unheard of in actual developed countries that build trains.

I'm not upset that for the first time transit is complete before housing. The city got the order right this time.
 
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At the very least, access roads to the NAIT station should be completed. There will likely be Blatchford residents using that station.
 
thommyjo said:
was the thinking that blatchford might be further along at this point? That the train would take longer? That this was just what had to happen with the funding to get the NW expansion started? Why does it seem so poorly coordinated?
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The City approved funds for this project in 2019 after the Feds/Province committed a bunch of money (it was election years for both). Gotta strike while the iron is hot so I do commend the City for taking a bit of a gamble and trying to get LRT built when they have the opportunity/funding instead of waiting for years for Blatchford to build out before laying track.

That said, no question the optics of this one are comical at this point. The very important LRT project is about to celebrate it's third year anniversary of being delayed from opening, meanwhile the other LRT line expansion is on-time, but due to the City wildly over estimating the success of their development project, is now a line to nowhere.
 
The_Cat said:
At the very least, access roads to the NAIT station should be completed. There will likely be Blatchford residents using that station.
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At the meeting yesterday, council was told that a "solid connection" between the station and the current Blatchford development will be completed by the end of this construction season, so the NAIT station will be accessible for NAIT students and Blatchford residents from day one.
 
northlands said:
The City approved funds for this project in 2019 after the Feds/Province committed a bunch of money (it was election years for both). Gotta strike while the iron is hot so I do commend the City for taking a bit of a gamble and trying to get LRT built when they have the opportunity/funding instead of waiting for years for Blatchford to build out before laying track.

That said, no question the optics of this one are comical at this point. The very important LRT project is about to celebrate it's third year anniversary of being delayed from opening, meanwhile the other LRT line expansion is on-time, but due to the City wildly over estimating the success of their development project, is now a line to nowhere.
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Once the Metro Line extension to Castledowns is completed, it will no longer be a line to nowhere! :cool:
Any word on when construction will kick off?
 
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