NAIT/Blatchford LRT station to open, connecting 30,000 residents and students to downtown

Edmonton Metro Line LRT

Phase one of the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension has been finished ahead of schedule and within budget.

Starting Jan. 20, the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station will be open for service while the temporary NAIT LRT station will close.

“Completing Phase 1 of the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension ahead of schedule is a significant infrastructure milestone to serve our growing needs,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in a news announcement Tuesday. “This extension further strengthens our LRT network and provides the north side of Edmonton with greater access to transit service.”

At a cost of $291 million, the first phase was initially set to finish in 2025 but was completed December 2023.

The upcoming NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station will connect 30,000 future Edmontonian residents living in Blatchford and Westwood to downtown, and it will cater to the growing student population at NAIT.

“The larger station will benefit students of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, future residents of the Blatchford neighbourhood and bring this LRT network one step closer to connecting communities for Edmontonians.” said federal minister and Edmonton Centre Member of Parliament Randy Boissonnault.

"We are pleased to see this significant step forward in the Metro Line Northwest LRT with the opening of the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station ahead of schedule and on budget,” added Devin Dreeshen, Alberta's transportation minister.

The city says that LRT projects such as the Metro Line Northwest extension are vital in transitioning the city's mobility network for sustainable travel options as Edmonton grows toward two million people.