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Stadium Station may take on a whole new look and feel in the coming years as the City of Edmonton looks at replacing the aging LRT station.
Built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Stadium is one of the original stations on the city's first LRT line, whisking spectators from Belvedere Station in the northeast and Central Station downtown to the games' primary venue (and the station's namesake), Commonwealth Stadium.
Now having served passengers for over 40 years on the expanding LRT system, the station has come due for refurbishment. The City is looking at using the opportunity to redesign the station entirely to enhance security, accessibility, and comfort for passengers, as well as to increase the station's carrying capacity during stadium events.
The preliminary designs by GEC Architecture show a much different station than what exists today: An additional platform is proposed for the stadium-side of the station to service southbound passengers, while the existing centre-loading platform would be used for only northbound traffic. Both platforms would become accessible from the street-level, allowing passengers to enter at either end of the station instead of being funneled through a single below-ground passageway as they are today.
The proposed design shows a new open canopy suspended by steel girders running the length of the station, replacing the more opaque enclosed structure that currently only covers about two-thirds of the platform. New seating, washrooms, and heated shelters made of clear glazing are included as part of the design.
Stadium Station, according to 2017 passenger counts, has the third-lowest utilization of any station on the LRT system, still only being primarily used for a handful of stadium events every year. This low usage combined with poor visibility into and out of the station compound issues of safety and passenger comfort, and have likely been contributing factors to three high-profile violent crimes that have occurred around the station since 2010.
The City seems poised to turn this around not only with the improved station design, but also by encouraging more usage of the station through increased mixed-use development in the vicinity with the recently-approved Stadium Station Area Redevelopment Plan.
The plan may bear fruit soon, as Brookfield Residential has recently completed servicing of the former Muttart Self-Storage lands for redevelopment, literally paving the way for new development immediately adjacent to the station.
SkyriseEdmonton will be sure to provide updates on this project and related Transit-Oriented Development projects in the area. What do you think of the new station design? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in our discussion Forum.
