Edmonton’s Metro Line LRT went down during the morning rush Tuesday, causing a bit of commuter frustration.
The Edmonton Transit System said technical issues caused the signalling system to go down.
Buses were brought in to transfer passengers. The line was back up and running shortly after 8 a.m.
Mayor Don Iveson said an internal investigation is underway to determine what went wrong.
“It is certainly a disappointment and it’s frustrating. I understand people’s frustration with the disruption and hopefully it’s a one-time thing but an internal investigation will determine whether there’s a systemic issue or just a fluke here.”
In June, the City of Edmonton said it hoped to have trains on the Metro Line running at full speed by the fall, in time for the Rogers Place opening at the start of the school year.
“I understand work has continued and that some progress has been made, but they are still working on it as we speak and that there will be a report next week on the status of where we are at,” Iveson said.
Since the line opened in Septemer 2015, trains on the Metro Line have been running at a reduced speed of 25 km/h. In June, the trains got the green light to go a bit faster – 35km/h between 107 Avenue and Kingsway Avenue and 50 km/h between 111 Avenue and the crossing at 106 Street.
There are still a few speed bumps, though. Trains have to slow down to 25 km/h at level road crossings – five times along the line.