Knack asks city to explore possibly driverless busses before Edmonton commits to West LRT plan
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With all of the talk about driverless vehicles these days, Councillor Andrew Knack has latched on to an idea from China and wonders if it could be a last-minute replacement for Edmonton's Valley West LRT line.
Scott Johnston/ 630 CHED
With all of the talk about driverless vehicles these days, Councillor Andrew Knack has latched on to the idea of how that concept could be a last-minute replacement for Edmonton’s Valley West Light Rail Transit (LRT) line.

Think of it is a string of three or four — possibly driverless — busses, looking like LRT on wheels and that would be a lot cheaper than what city council is considering now.

Knack shared his research looking into what a major Chinese firm could supply on Tuesday after signalling at the end of the city council meeting that he will formally ask for a report on Dec. 5.

“This is more than the BRT (bus rapid transit)-LRT discussion,” Knack said about what CRRC, a major Chinese rail transit equipment supplier, is testing. He envisions 43,000 riders a day coming into downtown from the west end.

“It goes up to, from what I’ve read, 70 kilometres per hour, so you have your high-speed, large volume of people moving and all you have to do is simply paint lines on the road,” he said. “Where the cost likely comes in is you don’t have to do any utility work because you’re not laying tracks in the ground.

“That’s why there’s supposedly large cost savings. We need to see that in the Edmonton market, see if that’s a viable option.”

Knack said he hopes a report will spell out any cost savings in late March or early April, just in time so they can compare prices to what otherwise would be a $1.8-billion LRT line to Lewis Estates.

“We’re not holding up the west LRT,” he said. “But if there’s a better way to deliver mass transit to the west end of the city, if we can do a quick analysis, if we can have that information before we go out to procurement – great. But if the information comes back and says for today, the low-floor LRT to the west end of Edmonton is still the best option – great – then let’s go out to procurement but we’ll keep our eye on it for the rest of the city.”
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https://globalnews.ca/news/3861188/...ses-before-edmonton-commits-to-west-lrt-plan/

Coun. Andrew Knack pitches trackless train as transit solution for Edmonton
West-end Coun. Andrew Knack believes trackless trains could be the solution to the debate between adopting LRT or bus rapid transit.

“That’s a very realistic hybrid option,” said Knack, pointing to a Chinese example expected to startoperating in 2018. It runs on pavement using painted white lines as a guide. It’s currently being tested in the city of Zhuzhou, running up to 70 km/h and holding 500 passengers.

Knack gave council notice Tuesday he intends to make a motion at the next council meeting, asking city staff to explore emerging technology alternatives to traditional light rail trains.

“There’s urgency,” he said. “We have just enough time left before we go to procurement.”

The inquiry would not re-open any questions on the alignment, or on which new line should get priority. But if new technology brings substantial savings, it could mean Edmonton residents in the northwest and southwest get their new service faster, as well.

Edmonton might need something other than a white line to guide the train during the winter, he said. But even if Edmonton builds a dedicated bus way first in anticipation of the evolving technology, it ends up ahead.

During the recent election, several candidates said they would prefer Edmonton invest in an upgraded, separated bus system rather than new LRT, arguing it would be a more cost-effective way to improve service to citizens across the city.

They argued LRT has such high capital costs, Edmonton might not be able to extend lines in northwest and southwest Edmonton for decades.

But buses, even bus rapid transit with its pre-pay boarding systems and separated right-of-way, can’t handle the crowds that LRT can. That means bus rapid transit systems have higher operating costs.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...ckless-train-as-transit-solution-for-edmonton
 
@archited I appreciate that forward-thinking, but the Valley Line is not the place to do it. Half of the line is already under construction, switching technologies for the other half doesn't seem right to me.

Honestly, I don't see the cost savings being very big at this point in time, assuming you want to build true BRT and not just another express bus route on existing roads (which many gunning for council seemed to be thinking), and especially when you factor in that these Chinese buses would need some accommodation for how to operate in winter.

So by all means, let's start looking into the feasibility, but for the love of god please don't stop building out our transit system because something better might come around.
 
In total agreement on the Valley Line, @Daveography -- I just think Edmonton needs to get off of the one-solution syndrome for transportation. There are so many new technologies that are rapidly outdating standard transportation modes. And you already know my feelings on running LRT along Whyte -- HUGE mistake! Check out this as a collector bus that would bring people to so-called collector nodes -- transportation hubs and commercial centres -- http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/world/ollis-electric-bus/index.html. I was in discussions re Olli over 2 years ago when I was first suggesting a Transit Hub for Edmonton, repurposing the Coliseum building and the adjacent lands. Our Group proposed putting in private service a fleet of these busses as a test scenario in the communities along Alberta Avenue. They are driverless, but we proposed having a conductor on board that would assist passengers and generally entertain them from starting point to destination. Magnemotion has a transportation guide system that is placed underground so that it does not create "tracks" but does keep the passenger vehicle on a set path. We had also proposed re-fitting the trolley cars from Grandin to Strathcona with this propulsion system which, incidentally, is about 10 times more efficient than a motor vehicle and roughly twice as efficient as LRT from a power footprint point of view.

I am not in favor of BRT! L.A. has tandem busses on certain specific routes and they are awful! At rush hour even a tandem bus cannot compete with a multi-car LRT! In my mind that is a step backwards.
 
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Guided buses will need a road rebuild to handle running on the exact same path each and every time they go down their ROW. Whether that is cheaper than LRT or not, who knows. Really any high capacity system is going to be pretty similar to others. Making them buses would probably encourage decision makers to reduce priority and preemption and dedicated ROW though, if the number 1 goal isn't sticking to the same or better overall trip time.
 
Lets be honest now, the City can't even get the Metro line running properly... yet somehow they think they could manage driverless busses? I have my doubts.
 
Major closure starting Jan 2, 2018:

102 Avenue Full Closure: 96 Street to 103 Street

EDMONTON, AB – December 13, 2017 – Starting on or around January 2, 2018, 102 Avenue between 96 Street and 103 Street will be fully closed to on-street traffic. This closure is necessary to prepare and construct the LRT line that will run along 102 Avenue. This closure will remain in effect until the end of project duration in 2020.

North-South Traffic Crossing 102 Avenue

Please note that north-south cross streets will remain open to traffic. These include: 97 Street, 99 Street south of 102 Avenue, 100 Street, 101 Street, 102 Street south of 102 Avenue, and 103 Street.

Pedestrian Access

One sidewalk (either on the north or south side of 102 Avenue) will remain open at all times, unless something unforeseen arises. Street access will be maintained for pedestrians, though they are also encouraged to use underground pedways, such as the one that connects City Hall to the Library Parkade. There will also be a drop off zone on 99 Street south of 102 Avenue to allow people to access the Winspear and Citadel Theatre.

Canada Place North Parkade Access

Access to the Canada Place north parkade entrance will be maintained with one lane remaining open between 99 Street and 97 Street. Drivers will have to proceed north on 99 Street, turn right onto 102 Avenue and then turn right into the parkade.

YMCA Parkade Access

Drivers will need to proceed northbound on 102 Street to access the parkade.

The construction zone will be fenced for your safety. Vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic disruptions will vary by location. During this time please watch for, and observe, all traffic detours and direction of construction personnel.

We thank you for your understanding and patience as construction progresses.

For the most current, up-to-date information in your area, please visit http://transedlrt.ca/advisories/.

Please refer to the attached maps for more details. For more information, visit our website http://transedlrt.ca or contact us via email at info@transedlrt.ca or by phone 780-224-0964.









http://transedlrt.ca/advisories/102-avenue-full-closure-96-street-to-103-street/
 
First Valley Line LRT rail ready in February, trains test track in July, contractor predicts
Edmonton residents will start to see the Valley Line LRT take shape next year, contractor TransEd says.

The first rail bed is being poured on 66 Street near 34 Avenue now, thanks to the December warm stretch, and the first rails are expected to be put down in February. The downtown tunnel is still advancing one to 1-1/2 metres per day and is expected to break through at the south end this spring.

The first rail cars are due in July or early August, and residents should see the first trains testing the track soon after.

“Bombardier is on schedule,” TransEd spokesman Dean Heuman said in his bi-annual update Wednesday. “(Trains) will be on the track before the end of the year to start testing.”

Construction on the 13-km line is progressing well and expected to open December 2020, he said: “Our timeline is good. We’re comfortable.”

Heuman held the update to share some of the largest milestones from 2017 and give a heads up on traffic changes for 2018. Here are more details for each section of the line.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...n-february-trains-in-july-contractor-predicts
 
This is odd...

Stop-work order issued for portion of Valley Line LRT
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety issued a stop-work order on a portion of the Valley Line LRT construction on Dec. 4, and the order continued to be in place Friday.

TransEd, the contractor working on the construction of the Valley Line LRT, was issued the stop-work order for a tunnel site, according to a statement from Sue Heuman, speaking on behalf of TransEd.

The Valley Line is a 27-km track that will run between Mill Woods and Lewis Farms

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety sent a contact report after a site visit.

“OHS is seeking additional documentation and answers to their questions, which TransEd is in the process of providing,” Heuman said.

The inquiry from Occupational Health and Safety is related to shelter-in-place provisions, Heuman said.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/stop-work-order-issued-for-portion-of-valley-line-lrt
 
LRT construction to close 102 Avenue until 2020

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KASHMALA FIDA / METRO Order this photo
Valley Line LRT construction to close 102 Avenue from 96 Street to 103 Street for two years.

Starting next week, 102 Avenue downtown will close to Edmonton drivers in order to make way for work on the Valley Line LRT.

Crews start underground work on Jan. 8.

The stretch of pavement between 96 and 103 Street, which runs in front of City Centre Mall and the Citadel Theatre, will be closed for two years, city officials say.

“We will probably be able to open the traffic lanes and the sidewalks, I would believe, fairly early in 2020 but the train would not operate with passengers on it until December of 2020,” said Dean Heuman, the city’s stakeholders relations manager for the Valley Line. He explained that cross streets like 97, 100, 101 and 103 Street will remain open to traffic, as will sidewalks going down 102 Avenue.
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http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...-close-102-avenue-downtown-for-two-years.html
 
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