Edmonton – It took a year and a half but renovation of the Central LRT Station is complete.
Edmonton Transit System marked the occasion Tuesday morning by handing out free coffee and hot chocolate to riders.
“There was dust everywhere. There was construction materials everywhere. There was construction workers. So there was a lot of activity happening you know all day, especially during those peak hours,” explained Priya Bhasin-Singh. “So just having the riders really deal with that and be really patient with us was really, you know, we’re just here to really say thank you to them.”
The Central Station rehab started with the Jasper Ave. Streetscape project in April 2012 which focused on repairs to the roof and waterproofing of the station. The total price tag of the project was $41.8 million, with the Central Station portion of construction costing $21.2 million.
“As the Jasper Place reconstruction was happening we kind of piggy-backed with that and we decided to do the construction with the Central Station, so we made the ceilings and the walls waterproof, and made it a lot more inviting and aesthetically pleasing as well,” said Bhasin-Singh.
The City estimates around 2,500 riders use Central Station during weekday morning peak hours.
The project was funded by the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, Provincial Fuel Rebate and the City of Edmonton.