Edmonton’s light-rail project will not be ready for rides in 2021
Written by RT&S Staff
Edmonton’s Valley Line Southeast LRT project faces another delay.
Delays have become a part of the Valley Line Southeast LRT project in Edmonton over the years, so it is only natural there is another one.
Contractor TransEd announced on Oct. 12 that the project, which was reset to be complete in 2021, would now not be finished until March 2022. A “longer than expected” testing project for the trains on the new line and the COVID-19 pandemic are the two biggest reasons for the most recent delay. TransEd spokesperson Dallas Lindskoog said 95% of the project is complete, but the contractor is still seeing positive COVID cases in its workforce and that “impacts our ability to move forward efficiently.” The original deadline for project completion was 2020.
TransEd also is making sure the system operates exactly as it was designed to operate, which has caused longer testing runs.
Testing for the project has now moved north of the North Saskatchewan River. The Quarters Tunnel and tracks in the downtown area will be included in the next phase.
The biggest dent in construction progress came in the spring of 2018 when a concrete slab was discovered below the surface of the river during the erection of the Tawatina Bridge.
Line-wide testing and the power to overhead wires are expected to take place soon.
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