TransEd to replace cables on Valley Line Southeast LRT, won't speculate on opening date

TransEd, the company responsible for building and operating the Valley Line Southeast LRT, says cables need to be replaced before the line opens.

Dallas Lindskoog, a spokesperson for TransEd, said it became apparent during testing that some of the copper signalling cables were oxidizing.

"That is a bit unusual, came as a bit of a surprise. But it is also not something that is unsafe, it doesn’t cause the system to completely shut down," Lindskoog told CTV News Edmonton on Monday.

"Typically it results in just the loss of a signal from just one device, and that may cause even a minute delay where trains have to stop briefly while it resets. That type of detail. We don't want to have that happen while the train goes into full service."

Lindskoog said hundreds of cables will be replaced with an upgraded type of copper cable that has built-in measures to prevent oxygen exposure.

The cost will be footed by TransEd, but Lindskoog admitted the company doesn't know how much it will be.

"That's not known, to be honest with you, but I can assure you none of this will be borne by city taxpayers."

The work is expected to take six to eight weeks.

Trains will not be able to run on the lines while the repairs take place.

"The public is going to deem this as a delay. That is not the case. This is something that we’re doing proactively to prevent future problems with the LRT."

While crews work to replace the cables, TransEd will submit paperwork to an independent certifier to begin service of the line.

Lindskoog said the opening date will be up to the city after the independent certifier completes its work.

"We'll work with the city to hopefully come to a target date that we could hopefully announce to the public." 

The 13-kilometre line running from downtown to Mill Woods has been plagued by problems and delays.

Originally scheduled to open in 2020, the project was pushed back after a "large concrete mass" was discovered in the North Saskatchewan riverbed under the Tawatinâ Bridge in 2018.

Absenteeism and supply chain issues caused by the pandemic delayed the project further in 2021, TransEd has said.

Cracks were found in 30 piers along the line in the summer of 2022.

Repairs on the piers were completed in December.

TransEd is contractually responsible for the financial fallout of the delays, as well as for operating and maintaining the line for the next three decades.

'BEYOND FRUSTRATING'

"It's beyond frustrating for me," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said Monday of the news about the cable replacements.

"I am deeply frustrated with the situation and why TransEd is not able to identify all the issues at the same time."

"This LRT project should have been in service in 2020 and here we are in 2023. This is absolutely unacceptable."

Sohi said adding to his dissatisfaction is the fact that TransEd deals with city administration, and council can't hold the company accountable.

He said he shared his concerns with the city manager on Monday morning.

"At this point we should not be doing any P3 projects until we dig deeper into what happened in this case and learn lessons," he said.

Ward pihêsiwin councillor Tim Cartmell shares Sohi's frustrations.

"It's a bit exasperating, a bit frustrating for sure. Sounds like another delay."

Cartmell said he still doesn't know when the line will be operational.

"I was hoping we would have it open for Folk Fest actually, so that we would actually see it used for one of our premier festivals. That would be a great kick off."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa, Alex Antoneshyn and Jeremy Thompson