Metro Line LRT running at full speed: ‘so far so good’

The Metro Line LRT has been running at full speed for nearly three days now, with Tuesday being the transit line’s first true test following the weekend and holiday Monday.

Edmonton Transit officials said so far, everything is running smoothly.

“So far so good. What we’re hearing from the riders are not much of a difference,” said Adam Laughlin, deputy city manager with the City of Edmonton’s integrated infrastructure services.

“In terms of intersection performance, (we’re) still monitoring it. I think it’s something that we might see the odd hiccup here or there but at this point, we haven’t heard and we’re continuing to monitor.”

READ MORE: LRT trains along Metro Line finally running at full speed

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The line picked up steam on Sunday, finally running at the full 50 km/h speed for the first time since the line opened for service in September 2015. The city was given the green light Wednesday by Rail Safety Consulting to lift the speed restrictions that were in place at intersections along the track.

While commuters seemed pleased, Coun. Scott McKeen said Sunday he had trouble celebrating the speed increase given all that’s happened with the line over the past couple of years.

“It’s good news – long overdue – but I can’t wait until we can stop talking about the Metro Line and our issues,” he said. “It’s been a real… bummer, to put it mildly.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's good news - long overdue - but I can't wait until we can stop talking about the Metro Line and our issues," he said. "It's been a real… bummer, to put it mildly.

“The good news is it’s up to speed so that will offer the service to Edmontonians that they deserve and they helped pay for – through their taxes both locally and in their income taxes – so it’s about time, but it’s good news.”

READ MORE: Councillor calls Metro LRT delay ‘boondoggle’ after leaked report

When the Metro Line opened, trains ran at a reduced speed of 25 km/h, due to problems with the signalling system. In May 2016, the go-ahead was given for trains to operate at full speed, except through the five intersections it crosses.

In June, the trains were allowed to go a little faster at two of the intersections – 35 km/h between 107 Avenue and Kingsway and 50 km/h between 111 Avenue and the crossing at 106 Street.

With files from Emily Mertz, Global News.