EDMONTON – Transit riders in Edmonton will have to wait a bit longer to ride the LRT to NAIT after another delay pushed back its opening date to the end of 2014.
The City of Edmonton says although construction on the Metro Line was completed on schedule, it’s taking longer than anticipated for the contractor to complete the new signalling system.
“This is the first time we’ve had more than one LRT line in Edmonton, and we need cutting-edge technology to allow two lines to safely and efficiently share the same tracks,” said Wayne Mandryk, branch manager, LRT Design and Construction.
The signalling system will be able to pinpoint the exact location of each train in order to safely reduce the spacing between trains travelling on the network.
The Metro Line was originally expected to be ready for passengers in April 2014. In December, the city announced the opening date would be pushed back to June 2014. Now, the city expects the Metro Line to open at the end of the year.
READ MORE: Opening of Edmonton’s NAIT LRT line delayed
“I have very low tolerance for any further delay on this. I’ve been quite clear about that with the transportation department,” said Mayor Don Iveson.
While frustrated by the delay, Iveson says safety comes first.
“It’s a challenge, but obviously we need to ensure that the system is going to work safely.”
The frustration is also being felt by staff and students at NAIT who were eager to ride the rail to class this September.
“It’s a disappointment. Obviously we were looking forward to having the LRT open for September,” said Jonathan Bilodeau, president of the NAIT Students’ Association. “Of course, though, it’s safety first.
“There’s a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement. We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer, but it is still coming.”
The signalling system contractor will have to pay penalties for the delay. The rest of the 3.3 kilometre Metro Line project has come in under budget.
With files from Shane Jones, Global News.
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