Valley Line LRT | TransEd/Marigold | City of Edmonton

Kosy123 said:
I wholeheartedly agree on this. The Quarters is actually my favourite stop on the line as well, and imo the one with the best potential. It feels different, and the fact that the train comes up and poof Chinatown (or what remains of it around this stop) appears.

Plus Double Greeting is literally right by the stop. That's such a big plus and I hope the oncoming foot traffic serves them well and inspires more Asian and Chinese restaurants to open around this area. Hell, it could allow that DoubleTree Hotel's CRU spaces a bit of a break.

Trew Facks mentioned on TikTok that a convenience store right by the Millwoods stop had increased traffic from the initial opening and was now considering adding food to their store as well. I think the fact that the Valley Line is mostly at grade and allows you to see businesses by it is a massive underrated aspect of the Valley Line.
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I want to see an overall increase in activity for that DoubleTree Hotel and less riff-raff hanging around it.
If anything can help kick-start The Quarters, the LRT line may be it.
 
One thing I hope for the Quarters, after the failure of most the extremely ambitious Quarters redevelopment project with Alldritt Tower and the rest, is that they don't try to fill it with high-rises everywhere. There is a time and a place for them but I for one hope to see more low to midrise development in the Quarters specifically, with towers being the exception rather than the norm. More 3-6 storey buildings.
 
Did take a ride on the line this weekend, not much more to add but I noticed how quiet the trains are. Standing at the stop they kinda sneak up on you.

After being on it, I think this was the right design for the project. The stations integrate nicely into the neighborhoods and the elevated section is a gem. Views from the tram are great, and going through the city then into the river valley is such a great transition I hope more people outside of Edmonton can see. I'll admit I'll get more use of the west leg when it's done, but I'm a fan. I can't wait to see how the line works once it's all done.

We're becoming a more modern city and I'm here for it.
 
Took our ride yesterday. Trains were packed both directions, I think a lot of people getting out to try it out but that's good. Agreed the elevated section is a gem and just makes a guy wish there was more of it (maybe that's just me). Was a good experience overall and didn't notice intersections or lights really stopping the train, only the once heading northbound at Whyte ave. Few things like next train arrival times not working properly at the station which will surely get cleaned up. Did have a couple people asking and talking about where they validate their transit tickets. Would be good to have some signage explaining that to people (or maybe I just missed it?)
 
Afternoon trip report from this afternoon for the first work day of Valley Line:

* Churchill station was lively and busy, glad to see the Mill Woods community exploring downtown
* Train was almost full
* More people riding for fun with their kids, nice to see
* I was worried the low floor cars would be slow and get stuck in traffic but their priority makes a noticeable difference

Hot take - they’ll need to use more double cars during the day if ridership continues as I’ve seen.

It’s busy!
 
@erudyk_29 , @TheTrekMachine , me and a few other friends rode the line on Saturday around 5! Here's some of my thoughts:

In terms of being a "neighborhood connector" style LRT line, it really succeeds. The stations are about as accessible as you can get, the sightlines are great and the train does feel nicely integrated. very comfortable to ride (outside of the excitement rush of the last weekend).

With that said, hypothetically, if I was the supreme planner of Edmonton when the LRT lines were being decided, I honestly would've not chosen to go with the low-floor LRT. In my opinion trams have a certain niche, and for cross-city rapid transit a city train (high-floor LRT) or light metro would be more effective in drawing a more substantial ridership overall, but I digress.

It's a solid system and I hope that the city and TransEd take good care of its cleanliness and reliability going forward 😁
 
Sheesh. WEM/Mis better have more than 1…


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After riding it again and calming down from the hype, I think I still prefer the high floor LRT overall. High floor trains are a bit faster as its completely grade separated. Train quality wise once you ignore the cleanliness of the trains, they both are very close, the high floor lrt is more spacious, but I like the led display on the low floor trains. From what I observed, wheel chairs seems to have a harder time getting on the train and needed some assistance because the front wheels can get stuck between the platform and the train doors.

Currently. VLSE is really a neighbourhood train primarily for commuting to downtown and back for SE residents. I can't think of many major destinations on the line that many ppl from other quadrants of the city would deliberately go to that can't be found in their respective quadrants, except for Muttart. Maybe this will change over time.

I predict the VL will have expoential increase in passengers once VLW is complete.
 
From VLW yesterday. They’re also nearly done segment 16 (of 42). I asked MIP if they will close the misericordia access this week or next, but they wouldn’t say, only that “they are working closely with the hospital to maintain access”. Whatever that means.

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fungus_eater said:
After riding it again and calming down from the hype, I think I still prefer the high floor LRT overall. High floor trains are a bit faster as its completely grade separated. Train quality wise once you ignore the cleanliness of the trains, they both are very close, the high floor lrt is more spacious, but I like the led display on the low floor trains. From what I observed, wheel chairs seems to have a harder time getting on the train and needed some assistance because the front wheels can get stuck between the platform and the train doors.

Currently. VLSE is really a neighbourhood train primarily for commuting to downtown and back for SE residents. I can't think of many major destinations on the line that many ppl from other quadrants of the city would deliberately go to that can't be found in their respective quadrants, except for Muttart. Maybe this will change over time.

I predict the VL will have expoential increase in passengers once VLW is complete.
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Agree with the high floor spaciousness.

New low floor has many more accessibility features though (low height buttons that blink, bright colours, large screen font).

Wheelchair issue shouldn’t be as bad as you’ve described but disappointing if it’s widespread. The elevator issue at Davies is ridiculous as well.

Disagree on the major destinations point - Milner Library, Winspear, AGA, RAM, Citadel, Muttart, river valley, French quarter and Ice District are now all either next door or a 5 minute walk from several stations. What other destinations do you want minus WEM? Haha
 
I think without a doubt one major attraction that is great to finally be connected to the LRT network is the Muttart. I hope also that the Riverboat takes advantage of some advertising to get people the Muttart stop and make a quick walk to their location.

Now I believe we are in a wait and see position with development around some stations. The most notable are Strathern, Holyrood, and Bonnie Doon. All three locations have the promise of significant development, I just wonder which location will pull the trigger first. The next two stops with plenty of opportunity for redevelopment around the stations is Quarters and Millwoods town center.
 
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