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Progress on Edmonton’s Valley Line West LRT line hammers on this summer, with some milestones expected to be reached by the end of construction season.<\/p>\n
But in 2009, long before ground broke on the east-to-west route, the City of Edmonton shared a 100-year plan<\/a> for expanding the LRT system.<\/p>\n The plan hoped to have 63 stops on six lines, stretching into four corners of the city, by 2109.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEdmonton is strategically on track to follow that plan,\u201d said Sandeep Agrawal, a professor at the University of Alberta\u2019s School of Urban and Regional Planning. \u201cIt aligns quite well with the city plan that was approved back in 2020, the growth nodes and long-term population targets.\u201d<\/p>\n The number of lines and stops were determined by predicting ridership density throughout Edmonton, alongside estimated population growth.<\/p>\n According to the plan, about 750,000 people lived in Edmonton at the time, with the greater metro region sitting at 1 million. The LRT system only had the Capital line and 13 stops, with two new stations already approved. Those stations became Southgate and Century Park.<\/p>\n Where are we now?<\/p>\n Edmonton\u2019s population has exploded since the plan was released in 2009: provincial data<\/a> shows the city\u2019s population has risen more than 50 per cent, reaching more than 1.2 million people in 2025. Nearly 1.7 million people lived in the census metropolitan area last year.<\/p>\n ETS\u2019 total ridership<\/a>, meanwhile, consistently reaches 5 million per month, and is gradually recovering from a dip in riders during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n The unprecedented population boom exceeded the growth anticipated in 2009, and is likely contributing to the LRT system\u2019s shortfalls, Agrawal said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is [the] sort of chicken-and-egg situation that we are in,\u201d Agrawal said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s moving in the right direction, but at this point in time, [the LRT system] won’t be able to keep up with the population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Edmonton currently has three LRT lines and 30 stops. The system\u2019s newest addition, the southeast Valley Line, stretching from the city\u2019s core to Mill Woods, started operating in November 2023.<\/p>\n The Valley Line\u2019s western section \u2014 which will add 19 stops, expanding from downtown to areas like the Brewery District, Misericordia hospital, West Edmonton Mall and Lewis Farms \u2014 is expected to be completed in 2028.<\/p>\n The city also plans to densify housing along the LRT line, which could help meet the demands of a rapidly growing population, Agrawal said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are, again, long-term goals; they will not happen overnight or next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Marigold Infrastructure Partners, the company building the Valley Line West, released a lookahead video<\/a> several months ago, stating Edmontonians will see \u201cvisible change\u201d across the line this year.<\/p>\n According to the video, Marigold expects to finish all trackwork from Stony Plain Road to Lewis Farms by year\u2019s end. A maintenance-and-storage facility at the line’s final stop is also expected to be completed.<\/p>\n Current closures and disruptions<\/p>\n As construction progresses, traffic disruptions will continue to affect nodes and corridors across the west end and into the downtown core.<\/p>\n This week, drivers can expect to see closures downtown on 104th avenue, between 116th and 118th streets<\/a>, as well as 102nd Avenue at 105th Street<\/a>. Starting July 17, there will also be disruptions across Stony Plain Road, from 149th Street to 156th Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784321236_609_default.jpg\")
This map from 2009, showing potential future ridership, looks similar to how the City of Edmonton has continued to expand the LRT system, with planned expansion following similar pathways. (City of Edmonton)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784321236_404_default.jpg\")
Edmonton’s LRT system continues to expand with future plans seeing the Capital and Metro lines being extended, alongside current construction on the Valley Line West. (City of Edmonton)<\/p>\n