[Gronk!]

SE:

Valley Line LRT begins increasing frequency

A month after the Valley Line Southeast LRT opened, trains are starting to run at the five-minute intervals originally promised for the line, at least sometimes.

edmonton.taproot.news

W:

Gantry crane builds Edmonton LRT differently

In a first for Edmonton, Marigold Infrastructure Partners is using a large-scale gantry crane originally built for a project in Dubai to build more than two kilometres of elevated track for the Valley Line West LRT, segment by segment.

edmonton.taproot.news

 

[fungus_eater]

Okay i change my mind. If TransEd can keep this up I'll forgive the 3 year delay. Added frequency is super nice. Ride feels fast, comfy, quiet and smooth af with barely any stopping even past Davies station to MillWoods. This is probably my favourite rail transit line that I rode aside from the Seoul, Hong Kong subway, GO Train and Skytrain that I rode in the past. I like it better than the TTC, C-train, O-train and Capital/Metro lines. Reece Martin always likes to criticize low floor trams but I don't really agree with his criticism now after riding the VLSE realizing low floor trams' potential.

8.5/10, would be 10/10 if VLSE is completely grade separated and a little bit faster.

 

[soupcrate]

Okay i change my mind. If TransEd can keep this up I'll forgive the 3 year delay. Added frequency is super nice. Ride feels fast, comfy, quiet and smooth af with barely any stopping even past Davies station to MillWoods. This is probably my favourite rail transit line that I rode aside from the Seoul, Hong Kong subway, GO Train and Skytrain that I rode in the past. I like it better than the TTC, C-train, O-train and Capital/Metro lines. Reece Martin always likes to criticize low floor trams but I don't really agree with his criticism now after riding the VLSE realizing low floor trams' potential.

8.5/10, would be 10/10 if VLSE is completely grade separated and a little bit faster.

The ease of getting on/off the train is 10/10. The integration could be a lot nicer at the Bonnie Doon stop, but being able to see a train coming and just walk directly onto the platform is huge.

 

[Tacom8]

The discourse around low/high floor, trams good /bad is so utterly confusing trying to follow along with transit-oriented content. On one hand it's spouted as the savior of European cities, quick and cheap to roll out. On the other is the blight of NA transport projects and we are fools to implement it. It's impossible to follow, but seeing anything built, getting used, getting good feedback is fantastic in my books. If by some miracle we become a more transit friendly city there are just so many more cards we can play to help beef up the network and presumably much more support to build out more expensive options. As much as people poop on the current design, just take a step back and look at the fact that this is Alberta and we actually funded and are building rail, with plans for more to come, that still blows my mind.

 

[J_gordo]

SE:

Valley Line LRT begins increasing frequency

A month after the Valley Line Southeast LRT opened, trains are starting to run at the five-minute intervals originally promised for the line, at least sometimes.

edmonton.taproot.news

W:

Gantry crane builds Edmonton LRT differently

In a first for Edmonton, Marigold Infrastructure Partners is using a large-scale gantry crane originally built for a project in Dubai to build more than two kilometres of elevated track for the Valley Line West LRT, segment by segment.

edmonton.taproot.news

I was under the impression that they would use the gantry to erect the segments over the misericordia entrance and through the station. But that seems to not be the case?

 

[Gronk!]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733170211753193671

 

[Barnaby]

The road diets this area is receiving because of the VLW and Warehouse park are great. 102nd Ave turns into mostly a bike/pedestrian thoroughfare across the entire downtown core, while 107st will be cut off from Jasper Ave to cars because of the park. In 5 years this area will not feel the same at all.

While I wish the street pictured on the Norquest Stop was pedestrianized, I have to concede that these are huge wins compared to what we're used to with recent renewal projects (Jasper Ave).

A question for you guys. The lot that is directly north of WBF is currently a laydown for Marigold iirc, is this being converted to a park space as rendered? Student housing would be a great fit here.

 

[Glenco]

^Traction transformer.

 

[Barnaby]

^Traction transformer.

Ok that makes sense. Hopefully the city does something nice with the rest of the lot. A park with a CRU would be a good use for the space. Vancouver's Rainbow Park has a great coffee spot (Kafka's) that I stumbled across this summer.

 

[The_Cat]

I think the block of 105-109 Street and Jasper-104 Avenue could be a pedestrian paradise.

 

[Foolworm]

The discourse around low/high floor, trams good /bad is so utterly confusing trying to follow along with transit-oriented content. On one hand it's spouted as the savior of European cities, quick and cheap to roll out. On the other is the blight of NA transport projects and we are fools to implement it. It's impossible to follow, but seeing anything built, getting used, getting good feedback is fantastic in my books. If by some miracle we become a more transit friendly city there are just so many more cards we can play to help beef up the network and presumably much more support to build out more expensive options. As much as people poop on the current design, just take a step back and look at the fact that this is Alberta and we actually funded and are building rail, with plans for more to come, that still blows my mind.

It is something new for Canada but not the US: what people call bus-on-rails, or rather BRT-with-LRVs. Edmonton took a leap of faith in designing the system so that it plays with the rules of the road rather than supercedes them. Even transit enthusiasts seem to have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept.

I was under the impression that they would use the gantry to erect the segments over the misericordia entrance and through the station. But that seems to not be the case?

I think it is? Taproot is not being precise with their wording -- the guideway extends past WEM and Misericordia stations to the ramps on either side, but they describe it as though it only spans between the two stations.

Also, Marigold has posted a timelapse of Misericordia, very cool:

I think the block of 105-109 Street and Jasper-104 Avenue could be a pedestrian paradise.

As posted in the 102 Ave pedestrianisation thread (somehow it's 108 St that's proposed instead):

 

[trevorhayden]

Would like to see 103 Avenue converted into a narrowed bus-only corridor like Graham Avenue in Winnipeg.

 

[Yeggy]

Okay i change my mind. If TransEd can keep this up I'll forgive the 3 year delay. Added frequency is super nice. Ride feels fast, comfy, quiet and smooth af with barely any stopping even past Davies station to MillWoods. This is probably my favourite rail transit line that I rode aside from the Seoul, Hong Kong subway, GO Train and Skytrain that I rode in the past. I like it better than the TTC, C-train, O-train and Capital/Metro lines. Reece Martin always likes to criticize low floor trams but I don't really agree with his criticism now after riding the VLSE realizing low floor trams' potential.

8.5/10, would be 10/10 if VLSE is completely grade separated and a little bit faster.

The contracted frequency was. 5 min from day one. The city asked them to start lower and to increase frequency over time.

 

[Foolworm]

Would like to see 103 Avenue converted into a narrowed bus-only corridor like Graham Avenue in Winnipeg.

May as well just make 102 Avenue transit only then, like what Calgary did with their 7 Ave downtown.

 

[The_Cat]

I think 102 Avenue has more separation with trains, bikes and vehicles than Calgary’s 7th Avenue does.