October 24, 2023
The City of Edmonton is pleased to announce the Valley Line Southeast LRT will open for passenger service on Saturday, November 4. Service will begin at 5:15 a.m. at the Mill Woods stop and 102 Street stop downtown.
Valley Line Southeast has been independently certified by professional engineers, a safety auditor and an independent, professionally qualified, certifier. TransEd recently received a formal certificate from the independent certifier, indicating the infrastructure is complete and meets the requirements of the project agreement.
“I know many Edmontonians have been looking forward to opening day for the better part of two decades. Valley Line Southeast will offer an affordable and climate-friendly choice to move around our city for decades to come,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “I’m looking forward to riding the new line and seeing this project cross the finish line.”
The Valley Line Southeast 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 per cent of trips are made by transit and active transportation.
“Valley Line is the first completely new transit line to open in western Canada in a generation and will transform the way we move and experience our city,” said City Manager Andre Corbould. “While the project delays have been challenging for everyone, all parties have kept their focus on one thing - providing a safe, reliable service for Edmontonians.”
Leading up to the opening of the line, TransEd will be conducting final operational exercises along the alignment to ensure their train operators and Control Centre staff are prepared to handle standard operational challenges encountered by all transit agencies. Over the coming weeks, TransEd will also be completing final work like curbs, landscaping and maintenance—this work does not affect the safe operation of the system.
“This has been a long journey, with challenges and detours, but we’re confident in the system we’ve built. Our focus has always been, and will continue to be, delivering a safe, reliable system to Edmontonians,” said TransEd Partners CEO, Ronald Joncas. “We’re excited to welcome passengers onboard these brand new trains.”
As opening day approaches, Edmontonians are asked to be mindful of their surroundings and obey all traffic signs and signals. If you see tracks, expect a train. The City of Edmonton also asks for patience during the early days of service. All transit systems encounter occasional operational challenges, especially as riders adapt to new infrastructure, travel patterns and behaviours.
A formal grand opening ceremony will be held in 2024 with funding partners, City officials and others after the system has been in service for a number of months.
Hours of Operations and Fares
The Valley Line Southeast will have the same hours of operations as Capital Line and Metro Line:
- From the 102 Street stop, service will begin at 5:15 a.m. seven days a week.
- From the Mill Woods stop, service will begin at 5:00 a.m. Monday - Friday, and 5:15 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Final trains depart 102 Street stop and Mill Woods stop at 1 a.m. Monday - Saturday, and 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Specific stop schedules will be available, through trip planning tools, closer to opening day.
Transit fares and tickets are the same as the existing transit network. Standard monthly and yearly passes are accepted, and reloadable Arc cards and single-use Arc tickets can be purchased at Arc fare vending machines at all stops and stations. Arc offers payment by cash, debit or credit card. Arc fare must be activated by “tapping on” and “tapping off” using the Arc validators. For more information on Arc, visit myArc.ca. For information about where to buy ETS paper products, visit edmonton.ca/ETSwheretobuy.
Public Input
Public input has played an essential role in shaping the Valley Line, from the identification of the alignment in 2009, to the completion of preliminary design in 2013. Thousands of Edmontonians were engaged through workshops, meetings, online consultations and open houses. The City also established Citizen Working Groups in five distinct zones along the LRT alignment to keep impacted communities informed during the project.
A special thank you goes to everyone who has taken time to provide ongoing input and support to bring this project to life. |
