Well done! I worked on elements of the first three projects and have posted some photos in flickr. We bought a condo in Ermineskin in 1979 expecting to walk to the station soon! Edmonton Transit hosted visitors from around the world in that era; they also wanted to see our timed-transfer focal point bus network and our main line trolley coach service.
I used that LRT not too long after its opening in 1978. (I was attending the Canadian Forces Basic Para Course then). We were also "volonteered" to work on the Commenwealth games opening and closing ceremonies. Great souvenirs of that summer.
I was there for Edmonton Transit. In August 1978 for the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games we used 100% of our tiny LRT "fleet" carrying crush loads. Transit's CFO and I were at Central Station with a queue that stretched from street level down to the platform and the clock ticking on time for HM Queen Elizabeth to open the games. We had trolley coaches on 5-minute headways to Stadium Station taking as many as we could squeeze in. I was on the phone to Control begging for help. At the last minute a convoy of Calgary Transit GM New Looks showed up and we talked the top of the queue into taking a bus in order to not miss the event. A once in a lifetime event, thank goodness. The reasons for the crowd were 1) a desire to try out the new line and 2) the event was timed for the optimum Commonwealth television times so event-goers went from morning work downtown rather than from their usual Eskimos park-and-ride sites near home.
@@ZBS4468 I looked it up and you're right that the formal opening was on Saturday, April 22nd. It ran all day on Friday, April 21st as a last shakedown without passengers. For actual customers the big day was April 23rd when schedules for the rail line and connecting buses went into effect.
The Valley line SE is opened now need to update this video to reflect new changes also a SW extension of the Capital Line is underway to Heritage Valley
The new Valley Line kind of remind me of tram-train network you starting in the suburbs of Mills Wood then you follow an highway pass over the highway and enter downtown Edmonton via a Tunnel at the end of a bridge across the North Saskatchewan River. it's nice ! Let's hope Edmontonians will love it and adopt it in great stride !
If the provincial government doesn't reneg on the Valley Line West, it's going to be a great system. I have zero confidence in those guys though, they only care about Calgary.
Where to start... The P3 was shoddy it would seem and whole list of items needs to be repaired or rebuilt prior to opening including MOST of the foundation piers needing emergency repairs and almost all the signal wiring needing to be replaced which is still being done as of today... August 25, 2023... The trains themselves seem fine and are being test run every day... As an Edmontonian this project is the most heartbreaking in city history and mostly because the P3 aspect was shoved down our throats by former PM Stephen Harper who only made transit funding available IF they used this economic model. I shudder to think what PP would do this nation but that's a whole side issue..
As far as I can tell, it's "Running Out" by Patrick Patrikios: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hU3ZLw56WPk.html Shazam thinks it's by Dylan Cifuentes, though.
What an embarrassing joke this lrt system is! Countless cities all over world that started building their lrt systems years after Edmonton, surpassed their pathetic system long ago, including Denver, Calgary, Ottawa, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Jose......
@Lemon because we are so called "democracy" and :"free market". government will not and do not want to (too lazy) to interfere and control it. people are just too lazy and do not care. trust me. it will just keep delaying and delaying for months and even years. when was there a project that was finished on time? hahahaha. they designed, ARGUED, built, planned, BEING REJECTED BY natives, politics etc.... it took more than 13 to 15 years to just build a simple light rail line. Whereas, in China, Middle East, Japan, Russia and some european countries, they build the WHOLE underground metro system in the same period of time. Number of stations were probably 10 times more than our east LRT line. hahahaha
@Edmonton Transit Service Guy /Formerly Lemon actually they planned to build this more than 15 years ago..... Due to politics, dramas and etc, it is now 2023, still NO NEWS on WHEN to open.... This is why we need to change and wipe out the existing political systems and encourage people to work and work more efficiently. I do agree with Trump, we need a new government that really works and not just talk and be the GOOD guy but in reality, they are the most brutal human being. . . Look at China and middle east countries, they are developing very well, just look at their underground metro system. They are SAFE and CLEAN and amazing. They have the newest and most advanced technology whereas, we still building LIGHT RAIL and no opening date....... When they are opened, more crimes will be there due to homeless and natives and drug addicts. When they are advancing ahead of us, we just push them back down. Sorry, I am a canadian but this is just ruining our country. I love my country but it is time to change because we are far behind...... Our roads are poorly designed, transit system is BAD, worse than third country cities... I think we need to learn from China, Japan or even Vancouver sky train. They are not bad at all. But why does Edmonton do things that like? Population is increasing and our city is still rely on cars, but gas is very expensive and roads are poorly design and maintained. Pesdestrians have all the rights to walk on roads first. LRT is bad, doesn't cover major areas and is NOT safe. . . . City encourages us to take LRT then just DO IT. build more stations.
@Edmonton Transit Service Guy /Formerly Lemon i have to say. edmonton is NOT safe besides the south and southwest areas.... Not just LRT, downtown, chinatown, north side, and soon to be west side when LRT is open there.... drugs, crimes, stealing etc..... i just don't know why our population is not that high compared to bigger cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai else. But our crime numbers are super high.... There was one time I was in Paris and LA at night and i was SUPER scared.... I heard gun shootings in LA and in Paris, there were many homeless people and blxxK trying to steal my and my friend's purse.... in edmonton? it is mainly from drug addicts..... too bad the government is not doing anything at all.
@Edmonton Transit Service Guy /Formerly Lemon i couldn't agree more. our cities are like WORSE than third world cities.... they are very safe and clean in fact. We are VERY bad. homeless, natives, drugs and everything EVERYWHERE.....
