Edmonton Transit LRT Valley line South East, A first look and full trip
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- The ETS Valley Line finally opens after a nearly 3 year delay. Here is a first look at the South East part from Millwoods to Downtown the complete trip with plenty of information and lots of different video angles along the way.
#ets #edmontontransit #lrt #valleyline #bombardier #FlexityFreedom #alstom #lrv
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/ @tonyvrailfanning
Kudos to everyone who made Edmontons LRT extension a reality!! Brilliance all around!!❤👍🏼🇨🇦❤️
It's nice to see that despite the trains' close integration with roads and intersections, the speed of the train line is not sacrificed. It's important as a city to ensure that trains have priority over cars to make it a viable and better option. I also really like this kind of POV view of the train. Love the music and voiceover!
Thank you the system seems to be working fairly well. We haven’t had any major mishaps since the opening during testing. They had quite a few problems, but everything‘s been good since then.
@@TonyVRailfanning Any reason on why they decided to integrate the valley line into downtown instead of constructing an underground system? I know one of the many complaints between the city of Edmonton and the city of Calgary was that Calgary completed their LRT system faster but has to sacrifice speed and timing by building above ground in their downtown stretch, instead of building underground much like what Edmonton did with the Capital line from the get go. Do you see any future issues arising with this new line being constructed above ground?
@@k-life3440 its very much about cost and with the main line already underground it already serves that need, this is meant to be more a streetcar type system and it connects directly to the underground station at the Churchill stop
@@k-life3440 So, Edmonton is actually very crappy for tunnelling. Our bedrock is very crumbly sandstone. The initial Capital Line has a tunnel through downtown, but it was a pain to build and required shutting down Jasper Avenue for years, and it took advantage of a gap in utility spaces that was specifically arranged for a tunnel prior to its construction, but saved some time and cost by being able to cut and cover station construction.
Since the existing tunnel is basically maxed out for capacity, barring a signal system that can push headways below 2.5 minutes, a new tunnel would have be dug BELOW that one and would not be able to take advantage of any cost/time savings from cut and cover. It would be a complex job.
Just boring the Metro Line tunnel from Churchill to MacEwan was a time consuming process, and it took advantage of largely running under the old rail right of way where it didn't have conflicts with anything above it.
Expense would be minimally 10x higher and not really yield much gains. 102 Ave was vastly overbuilt and carried very little actual traffic, and made for a very convenient corridor. And, these minimalist surface stops actually work quite well and are highly accessible.
Thanks for the wonderful video! The combination of street shots, drone footage, and video from the cabin really takes this to the next level. The overall planning and infrastructure seems much better thought out compared to similar projects in Ontario, namely the ION LRT in Kitchener-Waterloo, which can be quite slow in some sections and has okay signal priority, and the Eglinton Crosstown in Toronto, which is long over-due, and has questionable signal priority on it's street-running section. Great video, thanks for your hard work, it really shows.
Thats really appreciated, thank you for watching. The system seems to be working well, there has been no issues since the launch date 6 months ago. Other than the heated shelters at stations do not open when its really cold due to mechanical problems with the sliding doors.
Thanks Tony excellent video!!👍🏼❤️❤️🇨🇦
@@dannymcnamara2554 thank you, have a great day!
Best video that I’ve seen yet on the new valley line. The new train cars are beautiful
Thank you I agree it is a really nice looking train. They’re very quiet. They’re very quick at acceleration and the ride is really nice.
Great video!! I worked on the planning and design of this line in 2011, so fantastic to see it open 🙂
Thank you. Yes, I agree it is great to have open
And you you are proud of this💩bag of over spending and waste of our moneys?
Excellent work by you and your coworkers!!👍🏼❤️
Good to see a new metro line open in Edmonton Alberta, a few are under construction and slow to complete nice to see one finally open ✌️❤️🇬🇧
In the next number of years, there will be some more lines that will open here as well as extensions to the existing ones, so it will be interesting to follow
With fair amount of delays ( 2 years late ? ) as usual for us :)
@@dmitripogosian5084maybe for deadmonton
A great and very professional video! Thank you for sharing! I must visit Edmonton one day! Greetings from Montreal, Qc! 😃
Thank you and great to have you drop by to watch
La Belle province bonjour!!❤️👍🏼🇨🇦
Nice I am glad to see it is finally running, I was apart of the crew that built the crossovers/switches. Great video. 😊
Thank you, its a great line and so far so good 2 weeks in and no issues that I’ve heard
This is an excellent cab ride of the entire line. I enjoyed the entire presentation.
Thankyou TG, these trains are really impressive very quiet and smooth
Just subbed. This video was so relaxing for a Sunday afternoon. Great choice of music and love your mix of track side shots, drone footage and cab ride. Great work !
Really happy to have you join! Thank you and glad you enjoyed it
I like the music, don't love it but I like it.
I rode it today with a friend, very smooth and surprised the power these cars have and speed they can achieve in parts. Great video!!
I agree. I was very impressed with the acceleration and how quiet they were.
Finally! Can't wait to get back to town to ride it. Still think we should have stuck with our original high-floor LRT style and grade-separated routes, considering the LRT is essentially run as a suburban rail service covering a lot of distance. The higher average speed and capacity allowed by the high floor vehicles and grade separation just make more sense. My guess is they went with these low-floor trams mostly because that's what's fashionable right now.
Low floor, LRT has been the common thing in the European countries for years. It’s proven to be extremely successful and it moves a lot of people.
@@TonyVRailfanningthey're slow. Precisely why Canadian cities need to end their love with building low floor lrts
@@sm3675 it still beats using buses
@TonyVRailfanning that's true there's nothing inherently wrong with trams they're great in fact, but in Europe they're not usually running along 27km routes through mostly suburbs and industrial areas
I couldn't agree more. There's way too much pausing about in intersections etc. If we're going to invest in rail we might as well have crossing gates so trains can mainain higher acceleration curve and maintain higher average velocity. Absolutely right it was a bad idea not to spur and not that only have ONE dedicated cross system transfer point at Churchill is going to be a cogested free-for-all when systems are at their full future capacity.
nice work Tony
Thanks 👍
I live in Edmonton, Alberta. I recognize this train a lot whenever I would go to school and back from school. The train's one reason why traffic always builds up quickly and you gotta wait like 6-7 minutes just to cross too.
Unfortunately thats all part of progress. Vehicle traffic is not the priority. Its meant to encourage the use of the LRT
@@TonyVRailfanning "Unfortunately that's progess" That's a bit arrogant don't you think? Who are you to decide? You're love of train like systems is palpable but sorry, that's no basis for altering the landscape. The objective is to get people from where they are to where they want/need to go in the lowest amount time and at the lowest amount of cost. Now that MAY be by LRT but it may not. Designating LRT usage as the objective is just simply short sighted and illogical. This thinking is what poisons the debate over what a transit system should look like.
@@crinolynneendymion8755 LRT systems are far less maintenance then buses and roads for vehicles. The 50 year old U2 LRT cars are only just now coming to their end of life and have put on millions of kms over their lifespan no car or bus would last that long. They also move far more people than any other transportation system.
Great video! So far so good. Only good news from customers who have ridden it so far, except people in wheelchairs and with strollers. The narrower interiors make it a bit more crowded feeling compared to the high floor lines, however everything about this new system was a bit of a gamble from the P3 financing to its somewhat shoddy build quality hence the delays. But alas here we are... And hopefully full ahead on the West line...
Thank you, yes a week and no hickups is a good thing. The west side is well under way. So hopefully it gets done on time
Very well done Tony....👍
Great coverage...thx
Your welcome, have a great weekend
I've ridden it twice -- once from 101 Street to Bonnie Doon and once from Churchill to Millwoods and back -- and I think it's going to be okay. I will reserve judgement until we have more data on the effect of vehicular collisions, but until then I tentatively say it's "probably" going to be a boon to property values and density all up and down the line.
It’s been going a week now without issue , so I suspect that the bugs are out of the system and it should be fine
9% tax hike to pay for all this overpriced city dreams and schemes lol.
Great video & shots of the new Valley Line mate! ✅
Thank you!
Wow. The line that finally opened, 3 days after I left Edmonton 😅
LOL better late than never 🤣
@TonyVRailfanning after 40 years nimby i wouldn't
Absolutely loved this video, and the line itself!
I love how much of the track runs in a centre median of the streets and roads, and that the downtown section is above ground instead of being in a subway tunnel. This line is so much better than Edmonton's original LRT.
Thanks a lot for making this video! It was worth the wait.
Thank you. Accessibility wise it is really good that it is street level. I am not so sure I agree that it’s better than the original lines but either way, it’s great to have open.
It's worse than the original lines for what its job is, which is basically suburban rail.
@@lance-biggums it’s already reached it’s 30,000 passengers a day so it is quite successful at moving people from point a to point B
Thank you very much for this highly interesting video, Tony. And indeed, this is a very European looking approach, as we enjoy it over here in many cities. 👌💯😊
There are many who have concerns about the safety of this line but i think time should get people used to it. Glad you enjoyed it
Ive only taken the new train once so far but I love the new cars that they are using. Feels like a modern transit system
I agree, it looks very nice inside and out
Cool ride along and documenting video Tony. Enjoyed watching once again and have a wonderful rest of your weekend.(Steve)
Thanks Steve, you as well
Your welcome and thank you also.@@TonyVRailfanning
Looks like the city is next expanding the Metro to Blatchford Market (the former city airport), then expanding the Valley Line west to Lewis Farms via West Edmonton Mall - I'm looking forward to that, the bus ride there takes over 30 minutes from downtown!
Its a slow process and costs so much but its good its getting done
There is a end of line practically at the border of Blatchford Marker at NAIT. Given slow pace of development at former airport (closed like what 13 years ago ?) there is not much pressure to extend this line. The one to WEM is chugging along, though. I don't think I live here long enough to see the subway to St. Albert, in anticipation of which we moved the transit station ( 20 years too early, I guess)
Add another 20 minutes to toy train ride.
By no means do I take it every day or even frequently, but I've enjoyed every trip I've had aboard the new Valley-Line. During the wintertime, I made use of the architecturally-pleasing Davis Station for its proximity to an acrobatics gym and I class I was taking.
Its a good system for those who are near it
I tripped over one of the raised seats on my first ride as the train descended into The Ravine on The Way to Muttart from Strathern. I was simply blown away by having a different viewpoint on rapid transit of Edmonton's greatest calling card or postcard views! Whether Edmontonians make use of it or not, the new train represents growth of the city into its larger shoes and a plethora of transportation choices help solidify our identity as a world city and a good place to live.
its a good system that came much later than it should. The west leg of this line should already be open. The city moves way to slow on these projects. Good rapid transit requires investment from all levels of gov. sadly this has not been the case.
Thanks Tony and as always a well put together video. I am a bit surprised you can fly the drone that close to the city. I haven't looked at the interactive map but I would assume with your drone you can fly as far as the bridge on the N Saskatchewan River. I look forward to more of your videos 🙂
Thanks. Yes, the international airport is well south of the city and there are no hospitals nearby where I flew.
loved the drone shots ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Great video! If only Edmonton had this LRT service in place 30 years ago, I believe it would have kept the downtown area alive.
You are so very correct this system is about 20 years too late
Great video! Maybe could have had a few more shots of the interior. It's very comfortable and quiet.
When I rode down to Millwoods, I was watching the route 73 articulated buses (the route that the Valley Line will be replacing) and seeing at least eight of those buses, I counted only 3 passengers! Obviously the existing riders have made their choice!
Thank you, yes, there were quite a few people riding that’s one of the reasons I didn’t film too much interior shots is to respect their privacy and that’s also why I didn’t keep the audio from inside of the train too much either because there’s a lot of talking
@@TonyVRailfanning That completely makes sense. Thanks!
Funny think, I live near Edmonton, and have not yet seen this line operational. What is it like, a year ? Need to look on youtube to see how it looks like :)
Its neat to ride, I think its a great start connecting parts of the city.
😊
Nice! Was this on a Sunday, though? It doesn’t seem very busy.
This was the day it opened, on a Saturday afternoon
The level crossings in residential sections could be scary come winter. There is going to be someone who trys to turn left out of their neighborhood across the tracks and gets stuck or just doesn't see the train not to mention kids playing that can access the tracks.
It’s been running often on for testing included for about 4 to 5 months people are used to it now I don’t think that’s going to be a concern, particularly because trains will be running between five and 10 minutes frequencies
Great video thanks 👍
Thank you
Eglinton Crosstown, you are the next 😂
The question is when?
This is a message for Tony, our video producer:
Tony: This is/was a spectacular experience, for the rider and yourself! Thanks for the effort! But……..PLEASE stay away from front window frames which annoy every viewer! The driver to our right is positioned perfectly. I sure as hell does not like to view the “finished” product thru a lens of Vodka! That needs to be corrected. I am sure that you see my/our point clearly! No hard feelings, please. This info is for the betterment of the general public and producer of this production! I sincerely hope that you understand the logic of my criteria.
George Machtans.
Did you have an SFOC for those drone shots??
I am a licensed pilot and I am allowed to fly in the locations where I flew. Where do you see an issue with my flight? None of the locations I flew were no fly zones
New line coming to the west side past West Edmonton Mall. Will have to try it sometime after it opens.
Yes, its part of this Valley line
If it opens in the next 10 years lol.
@@crashandburngaming5103 so far the west leg is ahead of schedule so we shall see
@@crashandburngaming5103 Shouldn't take more than two. 😄
@@my3dviews let’s hope so. Would be nice to get to WEM from where I am in Clareview. Live right by the LRT.
Do you know what those aerial structures are made of? The curved alignment, long spans, and sidewalls extending above track level are new to me. They look too thin for concrete. More like the technology used for wind turbines -composite/fiberglass?
They are prefabricated off site and hoisted into place. I believe they do have fibreglass bonders in them but are cement mostly
Thank you. I found that the piers (vertical support) had problems with rebar. LRT is one of the few rail systems that can use "swoopy" aerial structures like highways use, due to conventional rail's heavy loading and the turning "moment" of elevated spans. Very information and intersecting video. I truly enjoy your combining ground and drone views in all your videos.
@@glenmatteson149 thank you very much. Yes the piers were defective as quite a few were showing signs of cracking but have been repaired thats one of the reasons for the delays in opening that line.
Unfortunately the city won't invest in a simple warning lights when the trains are going to be passing by in intersections or crosswalks. Every week there's a near miss collisions at the whitemud freeway overpass bridge as there's no arm or lights flashing to get the turning cars' attention even when there's a red light that the LRT railcars passing thru soon. Ppl are conditioned to pay attention if there's flashing lights to pay attention but numerous times ppl ignore the solid red light not to turn when there's no flashing lights unknown when the lrt is going to pass by soon. Also compared to the Capital Line LRT, the Valley Line LRT has no right of way when passing thru an intersection and actually waits for regular traffic lights to turn green.
This is the norm in many cities across North America. Edmonton drivers just need to pay attention. The new line does speed up the cycle of the lights if they are red for train approaching
Oh I miss Edmonton.
How long ago did you leave?
I left in 2007. Moved to Fort McMurray. Now I’m in B.C.
@@mfjaages BC is nice, pricey but nice
Hey, how do you film inside and outside at the same time?
Actually, they are different trains. The timing just happened to work and I edited it all together after the fact.
@@TonyVRailfanningYa I kind of thought that. Same locations, looks continuous
In Calgary has to have the crappiest of eveything
Calgary is not all that bad. I have a brother who lives there and it’s a nice looking city driving through it as another story.
Two minutes of loud music was all I could take.
then maybe you should have turned the volume down?
I live in Millwood and this track sucks shit.. the light at 75st and 38ave stays red as long as the train is at the station parked. Nothing like sitting at a red light for 7 minutes every morning.
Trains over ride the lights and to be a proper system like with most cities Passenger trains get the right of way. Im certain its not a 7min wait at the light just because of the train.
Can you please get rid of the "music"? I find it adds zero value to videos and actually its massively annoying. If videoing trains, I much prefer to actually hear the sounds the trains make.
Thats your choice, all you would hear is the conversation of the passengers inside. I can guarantee others will disagree with you. I simply cant please everyone
I concur!!
You can mute it. But I'm enjoying the music
I enjoyed the music :)
Turn off sound and closed captions on the next time incendental music choice annoys you. It's likely to happen again, by the sounds of it.
This was a total waste of our tax payers dollars. The number of riders, has been dwindling continuously, as the murders and attempted murders increase around each and every station. We have nothing but key stone cops for security, and a justice system, that thinks a smoking tent, is better than jail. Sad is this city getting, and will only get worse, as the west leg of this white elephant goes on line.
My two daughters use the lRT regularly and although its not as safe as before this is not just an Edmonton problem its North America wide.
This line of the LRT here in Edmonton is a class in massive clusterfing by the city’s council.
Over priced trains with expensive not attainable parts, concrete pillars that were not built safely that had to be repaired only months after install, a new untested electronic system that fails and causes delays or stops the trains, and doesn’t integrate well into the other 2-3 dissimilar systems we already have here.
Waaaaaay over budget. Metro line from Churchill to Nait is a total disaster.
Whoever was overlooking this should have been turfed immediately. Heads should have rolled for all the mistakes, over runs and just basic lack of common sense used here.
And who gets to pay for all this, us the tax payers of Edmonton.
Sure make it look like it is a marvel of engineering though lol.
We should have had a working, running, extensive LrT waaaay back in the 80’s-90’s.
Look at Calgary’s system. Well thought out and running for decades.
Edmonton is the Capital for gods sake.🎉
Instead we have silver balls piled up on the Whitemud to look at lol
You were on a good roll till you mentioned Calgary's system. They have been plagued with issues since day one, very poor signal system and the integration of the lines into downtown are a mess and often cause trains to literally bunch up. platforms can only take up to 4 cars so not able to handle the amount of people who use it. The two systems in Edmonton were never supposed to integrate into each other and the Thales signal system, was a disaster I agree but has since been replaced. Edmonton never payed a cent during the time the Valley line was delayed all costs were held by Trans-ed and the trains have had no issues running since it opened. Astom trainsets are very good quality and were a great choice by the city.
@@TonyVRailfanning ahhh, ok, I didn’t know Calgary’s had the same system and had that many issues. Good to know.
AI bots all of you
Rode that line and was the first I’ve been on the LRT in like 20 years and I’ll not be riding transit again anytime soon if I can help it. So many crackheads and mentally ill homeless people getting on the buses and trains making it feel unsafe.
Sadly this is not just an Edmonton problem its happening all over north America.
Too bad they have level crossings - including Calgary's C-Train. They are dangerous.
Its the European model, most cities are going that way to save cost
The trams follow the rules of traffic.
@@MultiCappiethere are rail signals as well as Line of sight signals dude!that’s what they follow.It’s not a street car to follow the road rules 😤
Finally the city can spread the crime out from the city centre to the rest of the city.
as you can do, there is ALOT of land but government people are too lazy to develop them...... they are so empty and vacant..... looks like a third world country.. government really needs to build and develop this land.........
In North America it is not up to government to develop lands. Nobody will give government money to do that on any serious scale
@@dmitripogosian5084and this is why we are declining and people here still refuse to admit. and THIS IS THE problem.
Repost this sans the the "on hold" diatribe music.
Gay music!
LOL thats your opinion and you have the right to think that but what is the point in posting that here.
Yup! Let's tie up traffic!!! Anything to aggravate drivers!!!! One would have thought Edmonton City Clowncil would have learned from the traffic debacle by the University of Alberta and The Royal Alexandra Hospitals!!! Apparently not!!!!
Although I agree the cost to go on elevated or tunnel is not feasible