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A little about the Railroad:



Edmonton Light Rail Transit, more commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit System, the 12.9-kilometre route starts in Edmonton's northeast suburbs and currently ends near the University of Alberta Hospital on the south side. Construction on the southern extension is under way.

The LRT is also designated as Route 201.  The system uses trains of Siemens-Duewag U2 cars; an order was also placed in 2005 that will bring twenty-six Siemens SD-160 cars into the fleet starting in 2008.

History:

Edmonton was the first city in North America with a population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system. The route first started construction in 1974, and opened its first segment on April 22, 1978, in time for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. The line followed a CN right-of-way from Belvedere Station to Stadium Station, via an intermediate stop at Coliseum Station (near the Northlands Coliseum, now Rexall Place), and then continued in a tunnel under 99 Street to Central Station, at Jasper Avenue and 100 Street, including an intermediate stop, Churchill. The original line was 6.9 km long.

When the line opened, fare collection was modelled on traditional rapid transit lines, with booth attendants. Low volumes of activity at some entrances led to weekend closures of alternate station entrances. In November 1980, Edmonton Transit – as it was then named – switched to a modified European-style "proof of payment" system, initially retaining the old turnstiles to issue the new receipts. Fares were now collected by roving inspectors, which permitted keeping all entrances open and required fewer staff.

On April 26, 1981, ETS opened a northeastern-bound extension of 2.2 km on the CN right-of-way to Clareview Station. In June 1983, the light rail tunnel downtown was extended by 0.8 km to Bay and Corona stations, and was extended again in September 1989 by one station and 0.8 km to Grandin (below the Alberta Legislature). On August 23, 1992, the next extension opened from Grandin to University Station, partially via a North Saskatchewan River crossing with a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists, and partially via a tunnel into the University Station. On January 1, 2006, the line was extended 0.64 km south through the University Campus to the Health Sciences Station, which is located at street level.

Every station on the line built since 1983 has been built with full accessibility for the disabled, although the line was semi-navigable by disabled passengers from its opening. In the late 1990s, Clareview and Belvedere Stations were covered and also had their platforms lengthened to allow for the use of five-car trains.



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