François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, was joined by Jon Carson, MLA for Edmonton–Meadowlark and Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton, to announce federal funding for two major Light Rail Transit (LRT) projects in Edmonton.
The Valley Line West LRT project consists of the second and next stage of the Valley Line construction. The project involves extending the line by approximately 14 kilometres from downtown Edmonton to the west-end community of Lewis Farms.
The Metro Line Northwest LRT Extension project is the first stage of an expansion of the Metro Line and involves extending the line by approximately 1.5 kilometres from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to the Blatchford development.
“These important extensions to Edmonton’s LRT network will provide residents in the western and northwestern communities with convenient access to the downtown core, all while improving the user experience, accommodating a growing ridership and making the transit system more accessible,” Champagne said.
Both projects will significantly improve Edmonton’s LRT system by extending service to new areas of the city, improving the rider experience, increasing accessibility, and laying the groundwork for future expansion and growth.
“Edmonton is one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, and we are planning and building our city with this growth in mind. We are undertaking the most ambitious expansion of our LRT network in our history so we can grow smart and sustainably and keep more than a million people moving. Today’s announcement is a true representation of partnership between all levels of government, a partnership that is needed in order to continue to make valuable investments like these that will benefit the generations to come,” Iveson said.
The Government of Canada is providing over $1 billion for both projects through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Government of Alberta is contributing approximately $1.17 billion through the Climate Leadership Plan, and the City of Edmonton is providing approximately $706 million.
For the Valley Line West LRT project, the Government of Canada is providing $948,560,000, while the Government of Alberta is providing $1,038,760,000 and the City of Edmonton is providing $637,080,000.
