Capital Line
| Capital Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Capital Line crossing the North Saskatchewan River | |||
| Overview | |||
| Type | Light rail | ||
| Locale | Edmonton | ||
| Termini |
Clareview Century Park | ||
| Stations | 15 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | April 22, 1978 | ||
| Operator(s) | Edmonton Transit System | ||
| Character | Surface line outside of city centre, subway style line under downtown and the UofA. | ||
| Depot(s) | D.L. MacDonald Yard | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 21 km (13.0 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Operating speed | 70 KM/h maximum. | ||
| |||
The Edmonton LRT Capital Line is a light rail transit line running from northeast Edmonton to the south. Operated by the Edmonton Transit System, the line provides access to Downtown Edmonton and the University of Alberta. The Capital Line currently consists of fifteen stations, six of which are underground. Seven stations are shared with the Metro Line.
History
On April 22, 1978 the line opened between Belvedere and Central stations. At the time (and for another 37 years) the system consisted solely of the single line. It was not named the Capital Line until 2012 when expansion plans were revealed for additional lines.[1]
The 1980s were a decade of expansion for the Capital Line. It expanded northwards toward Clareview in 1981, and westwards toward Bay and Corona, under the downtown core in 1983. Another underground extension was completed in 1989 with the opening of Grandin Station.
One station opened in the 1990s, University, in August 1992. The underground station was connected to the downtown leg by the Dudley B. Menzies Bridge.
During the 2000s, under the mayorship of Stephen Mandel, the Capital Line was expanded southward. Health Sciences opened in 2006, the first new station in 14 years. In 2009, McKernan/Belgravia and South Campus opened, followed by Southgate and Century Park in 2010.
After the completion of the south leg of the Capital Line, city council shifted their efforts towards the new Metro Line.
Future
South expansion
In January 2008, Mayor Stephen Mandel announced that the southern leg will be extended further south along 111 Street to Anthony Henday Drive, and then west to 127 Street SW. There will be a station and a 1,400-car park-and-ride at the intersection of Ellerslie Road and 127 Street SW, then the LRT will continue south for another stop at 41 Avenue SW, with a possible new LRT yard in between. City council approved the route to the Ellerslie Station, and for construction to begin on the park-and ride in July 2009,[2] but they have yet to announce when the station will be complete, as well as approval for the extension to city limits. There are no current plans for an extension to the Edmonton International Airport and Leduc. In late April 2012, the city launched bus route 747 from Century Park Station to the airport.[3]
Northeast expansion
In 2008, Edmonton City Council approved a plan to extend the Capital Line northeast by one station to Gorman Towne Centre.[4] On April 30, 2009, Mayor Stephen Mandel announced a $210 million project to extend the LRT system to a new Gorman Station with a park and ride lot, which was touted to accommodate commuters from outlying areas including Fort Saskatchewan.[5] The expansion beyond Clareview Station was planned to continue along the CN right-of-way to a station and park-and-ride north of 153 Avenue and Victoria Trail. The plan would have received funding from three levels of government. However, funding was shifted to the Metro Line in July 2009 as city officials saw that line as a higher priority for the city. The city has not ruled out a near-future extension to Gorman.[6] The City completed preliminary engineering on this project in 2010, however there is no budget or timeline for design and construction.[7]
From a land use planning perspective, the City of Edmonton has approved two area structure plans beyond Gorman and Anthony Henday Drive[8] that depict different alignments for further LRT extension into Edmonton's far northeast. Adopted in 2010, the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park Area Structure Plan depicts extension of the LRT along 50 Street across Manning Drive to the north, and then generally paralleling Manning Drive to approximately Highway 28A.[9] This ASP qualifies that this "is a potential alignment only, and will be updated to reflect the completed planning for the Northeast LRT when a final route is determined."[9]
Adopted in 2013, the Horse Hill ASP depicts extension of the LRT along 50 Street to the north, and then northeast along Fort Road to Meridian Street before crossing Manning Drive in a northwesterly direction into the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park.[10] This ASP qualifies that "extension of LRT service will be subject to LRT system planning and design, as well as the availability of funding" and that the alignment it depicts "is preliminary and subject to change."[10]
Stations
Future stations
|
References
- ↑ Hoang, Linda (January 31, 2013). "City announces five new LRT line names including 'Energy Line,' 'Capital Line'". CTV News Edmonton. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ↑ "South LRT Extension" (PDF). City of Edmonton. July 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ↑ "Edmonton International Airport Service". City of Edmonton. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ↑ City of Edmonton - Northeast to Gorman LRT
- ↑ Kent, Gordon (May 1, 2009). "LRT to take northeast extension". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009.
- ↑ "NAIT LRT line a go after feds approve funding: report". Edmonton Journal. 2009-07-02. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ↑ "Northeast LRT to Gorman". City of Edmonton. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ↑ "Plans in Effect" (PDF). City of Edmonton. May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- 1 2 "Edmonton Energy and Technology Park Area Structure Plan (Office Consolidation)" (PDF) (PDF). City of Edmonton. May 2011. pp. 66–67 (PDF pages 69–70). Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- 1 2 "Horse Hill Area Structure Plan (Office Consolidation)" (PDF) (PDF). City of Edmonton. July 2013. pp. 34 & 54 (PDF page 38 & 58). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
External links
Edmonton Transit System LRT stations | |
|---|---|
| Capital Line | |
| Metro Line | |
 Edmonton portal | |