EDMONTON -- Edmonton's Metro Line LRT will have a signal system in about a year.
Construction and installation of the system will begin "soon," the city announced on Thursday.
The signaling system uses fixed-block technology, which controls trains by section or block. Signals prevent one train from entering a block that is already occupied.
According to the city, the system will be reliable without requiring manual interventions like slower speeds.
The city also said it tightened up train spacing using the technology, so Metro Line trains can share the same tracks with trains on Capital Line downtown.
"This is a major step towards replacing the incomplete Thales signalling system we’ve been using since the Metro Line opened in 2015,” said Bruce Ferguson, branch manager of the LRT expansion and renewal department.
Alstom Transport Canada Inc. was hired by the City of Edmonton in the spring to design and install the system, after the city fired Thales in April following years of delays.
The city said it is still involved in legal proceedings to recover costs from the terminated contract.
Meanwhile, Edmontonians were told to expect to see crews working on the tracks between the MacEwan and NAIT stations.
Bus and LRT schedules are expected to be affected a little, the city said, but added it will notify the public of any service interruptions.
The system will be tested and commissioned in late 2020.
