Valley Line Southeast LRT to open to public in November

Opening date announced for Valley Line LRT The city has announced the Valley Line Southeast LRT line will open Nov. 4. Nav Sangha has the latest.

Edmonton's long-delayed and issue-plagued Valley Line Southeast LRT will open to passengers in November.

Service will start Saturday, Nov. 4, at 5:15 a.m. at the Mill Woods LRT and 102 Street stops.

“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,” TransEd Partners CEO, Ronald Joncas, said in a news release from the city on Tuesday.

Train testing was completed earlier in the month, leaving the line's opening dependent on an independent performance and safety review.

The city said Tuesday "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."

Ground was broken on the project in the spring of 2016. It was supposed to be finished in December 2020 originally.

But a large concrete mass found in 2018 in the North Saskatchewan riverbed under the Tawatinâ Bridge pushed back construction. So, too, did absenteeism and supply chain issues during the height of the pandemic, then cracks in piers along the line.

Between now and the line's opening, TransEd says it will be conducting "final operational exercise" to ensure operators and staff are fully prepared, as well as completing work like curbs, landscaping and maintenance.

A formal grand opening will be held in 2024.

Valley Line Southeast operate the same hours as the Capital and Metro lines: