Valley Line - West | City of Edmonton

Valley Line West is a 14-km LRT extension from downtown to Lewis Farms. Marigold Infrastructure Partners is in its fourth year of major construction. Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2028, followed by testing before the line can open.

WEM Station Rendering

Stony Plain Road Bridge Rendering

124 Street Stop Rendering

Lewis Farms Stop Rendering

Project Update — Accelerated roadwork will proceed in 2025

Accelerated roadwork and trackwork in key areas will occur throughout 2025, and will reduce the overall duration of traffic restrictions by more than half. This plan will allow Marigold to complete the majority of roadwork in 2025. A three-phased approach from April to November will impact several major intersections and corridors, including:

Phase 1 (April - July)

104 Avenue (106 to 121 Street) - one lane eastbound and westbound will stay open
Stony Plain Road at 124 Street (full closure)
Stony Plain Road at 156 Street (partial closure)
87 Avenue at Meadowlark Road (partial closure)

Phase 2 (July - September)

104 Avenue (106 to 121 Street) - one lane eastbound and westbound will stay open
Stony Plain Road at 142 Street (partial closure)
95 Avenue at 156 Street (partial closure)

Phase 3 (September - November)

104 Avenue (106 to 121 Street) - one lane eastbound and westbound will stay open
Stony Plain Road at 149 Street (partial closure)

Ongoing communication with stakeholders and businesses will continue in order to find collaborative solutions to maintain access to businesses. The top priority over the coming weeks will be detailed traffic planning for Phase 1. A public communications plan is also being developed to proactively inform Edmontonians about the upcoming traffic restrictions and alternative routes. More details will be released as soon as they are confirmed. Read the full Council report.

About the Project

It’s the second stage of the Valley Line, an urban-style 27-km line that will operate between Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton and Lewis Farms in west Edmonton.

Valley Line West includes:

14 street-level stops and two elevated stations (West Edmonton Mall and Misericordia Hospital)
Two new bridges (crossing Groat Road and Anthony Henday Drive)
Two new facilities (Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility near Whitemud Drive and 75 Street, and Lewis Farms Storage Facility in west Edmonton)
Elevated guideway along 87 Avenue
46 new light-rail vehicles

Learn more about the history of public engagement or the project.

Other Construction Activities

Lewis Farms Storage Facility

Work on the train storage facility at Lewis Farms continued throughout 2024, including track work and exterior cladding on the north face of the building.

Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility

Expansion of the Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility on 75 Street is ongoing. In late 2024, construction included roofing, window glazing, interior concrete slab and track tie-in work. In 2025, major construction will continue inside and outside the facility to prepare for the arrival of light rail vehicles in mid to late-summer.

West Edmonton Mall Temporary Transit Centre

In August 2021, the City temporarily relocated West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre on 87 Avenue. The transit centre moved to an interim location on 90 Avenue north of the mall, beside West Edmonton Mall Inn, where it will remain for the duration of construction.

This location ensures transit riders continue to receive transit service to and from the surrounding communities and West Edmonton Mall. All bus routes accessing the previous transit centre have moved to the temporary transit centre.

For more information about changes to ETS bus service, visit Alerts and Service Impacts .

Tree Removals

As of January 2025, the majority of tree removals along the Valley Line West alignment have been completed. Remaining tree removals will be completed as required to accommodate construction activities.

The City and MIP understand that mature trees are very important to residents. The City works with subject matter experts such as landscape architects and certified arborists, who make recommendations regarding tree retention, removal, replacement and protection.

While the majority of the trees that were removed were not suitable for relocation, MIP will plant at least 1,800 new trees and shrubs along the Valley Line West, as part of a full landscaping plan once construction is complete.

Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Procurement

Hyundai Rotem Company will supply 46 new low-floor LRVs for the Valley Line West project. Design review work was completed in 2024. The City anticipates LRVs will be delivered to Edmonton starting in summer 2025. These LRVs will be compatible with, and incorporated into, the entire Valley Line fleet.

November 2021 Update

In November 2021, the City of Edmonton selected Hyundai Rotem Company as its preferred proponent to supply light-rail vehicles (LRVs) for the Valley Line West. Read our news release for more information on the award of the LRV contract.

March 2021 Update

The request for qualifications (RFQ) closed on February 4, 2021. On March 4, 2021, the City shortlisted 3 teams to participate in the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase of LRV procurement. Please read our industry bulletin for more details.

November 2020 Update

The project entered into Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) procurement on November 24, 2020 (see industry bulletin).

Frequently Asked Questions

When did construction start?

Construction began in 2021. See current construction notices on the Marigold Infrastructure Partners website.

Who is building Valley Line West LRT?

The City is responsible for delivering the project. The project is funded by all 3 levels of government, with the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta each providing approximately 40% of the funding, and the City of Edmonton funding the remaining 20%.

Marigold Infrastructure Partners was selected to design, build and partially finance the Valley Line West. Marigold is responsible for communicating the day-to-day construction impacts to residents and business owners along the LRT alignment. The City selected Hyundai Rotem Company as the successful supplier that will provide 46 light-rail vehicles (LRVs) for this project. Other contractors will be selected as needed, to supply operations and maintenance services, and other supporting construction activities.

What is Sustainable Urban Integration (SUI)?

With direction from the City and 2 years of public consultation, the principle of Sustainable Urban Integration (SUI) was established.

SUI looks beyond the building of tracks and trains to create neighbourhoods that are safe, attractive and connected. This involves designing livable, pedestrian-friendly environments and adding enhancements that reflect the feel and character of each of the communities along the LRT corridor.

Some examples of SUI enhancements include:

Building shared-use pathways, sidewalks and trails
Adding bike lanes that connect to the City’s existing bike lane network
Designing pedestrian-friendly zones around stops and stations
Using enhanced landscaping and streetscaping along the length of the corridor to create a more natural environment
Incorporating organic materials such as stone and wood wherever possible

These principles were incorporated into the Valley Line LRT - Stage 1 Project Agreement.

What is Property Acquisition and Expropriation?

City Council considered the impact on property owners when approving the route for the Valley Line LRT and ultimately selected an alignment that minimizes the need for the acquisition of private property. However, in some cases, privately-held property will need to be acquired in order for the project to move forward. Potential property needs for the Valley Line were assessed during the preliminary engineering process completed in 2013.

If a property owner and the City property agent cannot reach an agreement to purchase the property, the City may proceed with expropriation of the property as a last resort.

Why is the LRT designed to run primarily at street level, and how is it made compatible with car traffic?

The Valley Line LRT is designed to meet the overall goals of LRT expansion while fully integrating with the communities it serves. The low-floor, urban style LRT allows stops to be small, basically a raised curb and sidewalk with a shelter. Stops can be spaced closer together, making LRT accessible to more people. It costs less than elevated or subway systems.

The Valley Line LRT will run alongside traffic in designated lanes and follow the posted speed limits. The LRT will cross through an intersection during a green light and stop at a red light, just like the other vehicles on the road. The LRT may get green light priority at some intersections, but because no crossing arms will be lowered, cross-traffic won’t have to wait additional time before and after the LRT passes. As a result, increases in wait times are usually minor.

Another benefit of keeping the LRT at street level is that no overhead structures or tunnels are required. Going above or below street level creates visual and physical barriers in the community that reduce comfort and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists moving through or within the area.

When is above or below street level considered?

There are some locations where going above or below street level are required. For instance, on Valley Line Southeast, the LRT crosses CP and CN train tracks. Due to rail safety requirements and technical difficulties with having LRT tracks and train tracks intersect, the LRT has to go above or below street level for these crossings.

At other locations, street level crossings are incompatible with the style of road. For example, going above or below street level is required when an LRT crosses over Anthony Henday Drive or any of the streets in Edmonton’s “inner ring road”; Whitemud Drive, 75 Street, Yellowhead Trail and 170 Street.

Going above or below street level is also considered where traffic volume is already causing intersection gridlock and there is no other way to provide relief.

Why not elevate or tunnel the entire LRT?

A fully elevated or underground LRT would be inconsistent with the City’s vision, and it would be very costly. This higher cost would result in a much longer time to expand the system and realize the benefits.

What would going above or below street level involve?

Going above street level would require a bridge over the intersection for the LRT vehicles to travel on. The bridge is called an elevated guideway, and consists of a single deep beam that supports the weight of the bridge, LRT vehicles, snow, rain, wind, and so on.

The elevated guideway ramps up and down for about two blocks on each side of the intersection to get to its required height. It is typically supported on large concrete piers centered below the beam, but sometimes may need to be supported on a second layer of deep beams that span across the road onto concrete columns.

Due to the close proximity of the elevated station at West Edmonton Mall going underground is not considered feasible at 178 Street. Because an LRT stop can’t be placed on a slope, going above or below street level would usually mean that LRT stops intended to be placed near the intersection would need to be either shifted further from the intersection or built above street level as well.

Building above or below street level would be a departure from the City’s vision for a sustainable, urban, integrated, low-floor LRT system designed to blend into surrounding mature communities.

An elevated crossing would be more of a visual and potentially physical barrier. Building above or below street level would involve extending the tracks above ground from the elevated West Edmonton Mall station westward to cross over 178 Street and ramp down to ground level east of 182 Street. The 182 Street LRT stop is far enough away from 178 Street that it would probably be unaffected.

How are travel time savings calculated?

Travel times are calculated using transportation modelling software to measure travel times for vehicle, LRT and traffic congestion.

If plans for Valley Line involve LRT priority, is removing LRT priority an alternative to going above or below street level?

Plans call for partial priority for the LRT at some major intersections where the green signal can be extended slightly to allow the LRT to pass before it turns red.

However, the LRT may still get a red signal that will require it to stop. The assessment includes determining if a reasonable balance of intersection movements can be achieved.

Future Valley Line West