Valley Line Southeast LRT delayed until early 2022
Contractor blames COVID-19 for staffing, supply-line challenges
Edmontonians will have to wait until next year to hop on the Valley Line Southeast LRT line with the opening again delayed.
Transed, the group of companies chosen to construct the $1.8-billion project, announced Tuesday morning that LRT trains won't be open to passengers until the first quarter of 2022, but didn't provide a specific timeline.
The 13-kilometre line from Downtown to Mill Woods was initially expected to open in December 2020. For the last year, Transed has said this first leg of the Valley Line would open before the end of 2021.
But Transed spokesman Dallas Lindskoog said the testing process, compounded by multiple COVID -19 cases among workers, has led to another delay.
There haven't been specific major issues found during testing and commissioning, but Lindskoog said each phase of the line takes time to ensure everything is working up to contractual standards.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the project hard — with many workers needing to isolate — as well as a delay in receiving materials due to supply chain issues.
“The biggest delay that we've seen right now has been the impacts of COVID -19. That combined with just getting the testing done and doing that carefully without taking any shortcuts, those two things have pushed us into the first quarter of 2022,” Lindskoog said.
“We have had various things across the project that have been from out of country that at times have been delayed because of COVID -19. We've had professionals from out of country that needed to come in and do certain testing on various components of the project that weren't able to come into the country when we first thought they'd be able to, that caused delays.”
As a result of COVID -19 impacts from 2020, Transed had previously been granted a 74-day project extension.
But Lindskoog said the 2021 delays haven't been taken into account. The new “long stop date” for the project is Feb. 27, 2022, meaning if LRT service isn't up and running by then, Transed could face financial penalties per the contract agreement. Before this extension, the final completion date was set for Dec. 15, 2021.
In a statement to Postmedia, deputy city manager Adam Laughlin said the city remains committed to working with Transed to ensure the line opens for safe and reliable service.
The city is involved in the testing process and will need to sign off before service can begin.
“If service commencement under the project agreement is not complete by the long stop date, the city can then exercise contractual remedies if necessary,” he said in the statement.
“The city continues to support Transed on this project and we're excited for the line to open, but it's on Transed to fulfil its contractual obligations and deliver the premium transit service that Edmontonians were promised.”
The project is currently at 95-per-cent completion and Lindskoog said the delay will result in increased project costs, but an amount wasn't provided.
He didn't say if council would be required to approve additional funding from the city, but said there is a clause in the contract for the city and Transed to work out an agreement.
Also on Tuesday, train testing began across the 260-metre Tawatinâ Bridge, which connects the line across the North Saskatchewan River.
Work around the area continues with the shareduse path underneath the LRT bridge and surrounding trails in Louise Mckinney Park expected to open to pedestrians by the end of November.
Residents are reminded to watch out for trains testing along the line and to only cross the tracks at designated pedestrian crossings.
Once open, the first leg of the Valley Line will have 12 stops and the entire trip is expected to take 30 minutes.