Faulty cables cause latest delay for Valley Line Southeast LRT project

In the latest delay to the $1.8-billion project, Valley Line Southeast LRT builder TransEd said Monday that signalling cables along the entire 13-kilometre route need to be replaced before the line can go into operation.

"We are working closely with the city and more information about a potentialopening date for Valley Line Southeast will be provided as cable upgrades and independent certification nears completionlater this summer," TransEd said in a news release Monday.

The low-floor LRT line will connect Mill Woods to downtown.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he is beyond the point of frustration with the delay.

"Edmontonians have been waiting to use this LRT for more than two years," Sohi said.

'I am deeply frustrated with the situation'

1 year ago

Duration 4:13

Edmonton's Southeast Valley Line LRT project is running into more delays. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says he shares the frustration that Edmontonians are feeling and is deeply disappointed. The rail link between Mill Woods and downtown was originally supposed to open in December 2020.

He said it's "no comfort" that TransEd said it will cover the cost of the cable replacement.

"This LRT project should have been in service in 2020 and here we are in 2023, and that's absolutely unacceptable," Sohi said.

Trains on the Valley Line had been in testing but to allow for the repairs to begin, movementswere stopped as of Monday morningalong the portion of the route between downtown and Whitemud Drive.

TransEd expects repairs on that part of the line to take six to eight weeks, spokesperson Dallas Lindskoog said in an interview.

The cables are underground and easily accessible to work crews, he said.

"We investigated and determined that there was some oxidation occurring in some of the signalling cables,"Lindskoogsaid.

"We made the decision to remove and upgrade those cables to a cable that's going to function much better."

While work to replace the cables north of Whitemud Drive is ongoing, trainswill continue testing in the Mill Woods area, south of Whitemud Drive.

The cables south from Whitemud Drive to the terminus stop at Mill Woods Town Centre will be replaced after the line opens to passengers.

Lindskoog said the upgraded cable includes an additional measure to prevent air exposure that over time can lead to oxidation.

TransEd is still investigating why the existing copper cables were already corroding.

Lindskoog emphasized that the cable problems don't present a safety risk.

Oxidation can cause signal interruptions that would temporarily stop a train, but would be resolved by other safeguards, he said.

The cables are being replaced to avoid these issues, and have them fully functioning for the next 30 years, he said.

Latest setback

The setback comes after a planned opening date last summer was postponed. Cracks were found in concrete piers supporting elevated portions of the track.

Repairs to the piers were completed last winter. TransEd has spent the last six monthstesting trains along the route.

• Valley Line Southeast LRT in limbo as TransEd discovers more cracks in concrete piers
• Now it's 30 of 45 concrete piers that need fixing on Valley Line Southeast LRT

City councillors have repeatedly voiced frustrations that the public-private partnership with TransEd forces council to go through city administration rather than ask questions directly of the company.

"I don't know why a set of brand-new cables all of asudden has problems with it," Coun. Tim Cartmellsaid Monday.

"I would really welcome the opportunity to ask some of those questions."

• P3 model not responsible for latest Valley Line LRT issues, Edmonton city councillor says

• Valley Line LRT to Mill Woods delayed 6 months, documents say

Cartmell said he was hoping passengers could ride the Valley Line route to the Edmonton Edmonton Folk Music Festival in Gallagher Park this August, since it would be a good opportunity to debut the line at one of the city's major festivals.

"I don't know [if] that's going to happen now," he said.