EDMONTON – If you take the LRT, chances are you are also being forced to take the stairs.
Several LRT stations have broken escalators, and some have been out of commission for months.
“Especially in the downtown areas, I find they are out a lot,” said LRT passenger Devin Johnson.
“I go pretty much from Clareview to Century Park and it’s only at the extremities that they seem to be working half the time.”
“I can take the stairs but people with walkers and stuff need the escalators,” said Kevin McDermott, who often stops at the Bay LRT station, where the escalators have been down since January.
“It’s down for a good reason,” said Phil Henry, the City’s LRT Facilities Maintenance Supervisor. “The stairs have developed cracks.”
The Bay escalator isn’t the only one out of commission; Stadium station’s is also blocked off.
“I’ve been going here since September and it’s never been working since I’ve been here,” said Garrin Bulani.
The escalator at the Health Sciences station hasn’t been switched on since it’s been installed. The City says it is undergoing an engineering review to ensure its safety.
Meanwhile, crews are working on replacing aging escalators at three LRT stations. Collisium is complete, Stadium is expected to be completed within a couple of weeks, and Bay station will be next.
Still, passengers are frustrated by the ongoing inconvenience.
“I’ve been to a lot of different LRT stations and it’s the same thing: the yellow gate is there the whole time,” said Bulani. “Nothing has been done.”
The City explains it’s waiting for proper replacement parts.
“We don’t have parts off the shelf, ready, available for replacement for some of the aged pieces of equipment,” said Henry.
“And that’s the delay.”
Some of the LRT escalators are more than 30 years old.
“I don’t think we have neglected our LRT infrastructure to the state people should be concerned,” said Councillor Amarjeet Sohi.
The City says LRT escalators are also shut down for ongoing maintenance and safety inspections.
All Edmonton LRT stations are also equipped with an elevator.
The City plans to expand the LRT system by adding 13 kilometres of new track.
With files from Kendra Slugoski, Global News
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