Hundreds of Edmontonians flocked downtown on a chilly fall morning—a Saturday morning, no less—to celebrate the opening of the Valley Line Southeast LRT. It was 5 a.m. and the sun wouldn’t be up for hours.
Most of them weren’t people who needed to get somewhere. To them, the 102 Street LRT stop was the place to be. They brought ceremonial ribbons to cut, cake to share and even bottles of sparkling beverages for the maiden voyage of the Valley Line Southeast LRT. It was a historic moment, and each person who boarded that first train felt the significance of the milestone for the city.
Left: Citizens show up with celebratory cake well before sunrise and share with others taking the first Valley Line Southeast train ride. Right: Valley Line Southeast ambassadors share cookies and share the excitement with first-time travellers.
Excitement in the air
This isn’t the first time Edmontonians have set their alarms for a 5 a.m. wake-up. In 2011, news outlets reported that all over the city, friends gathered and turned their TVs to witness the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London, England.
Then, in 2014, there was an Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and Sweden in Sochi, Russia. Citizens woke up early, donned their jerseys, and went out to watch the game together. They revelled in a 3-0 victory as Canada took to the top of the podium. It felt especially sweet, because it brought pride for our nation.
So imagine the excitement—the electricity in the air—when the reason to get up so early was right here in our city. The Valley Line Southeast LRT, years in the making, is a win for Edmonton. Seeing as so many Edmontonians had a part in designing and building the line, it was an incredible thing to witness all who took part in the historic opening.
New possibilities
Throughout its first weekend, people from across the city boarded the train and participated in a scenic tour of the southeast with views many have never experienced before. For many, it was an introduction to a whole new area where new possibilities of exploration are waiting.
Now the initial celebration is over and we all go back to our regular routines. Some Edmontonians will take the Valley Line Southeast to work or to shop at the grocery store or even to visit a friend in a nearby community.
As they travel, they may notice there is still work happening along the route. Over the coming months, there will be system fine-tuning, construction clean-up and warranty work occurring along the line. This work does not affect the safe operation of the line. Just like other transit systems across the country, operational challenges occasionally happen and are part of operating a transit service.
Throughout the early days of service, we’re asking riders to be patient as everyone adapts to the new infrastructure. If you have any questions or observations to help improve the line, please reach out to 311 and include relevant and specific details.
Just as in the past, Edmontonians embraced early morning hours and sacrificed their peaceful rest so they could take part in something they value even more than just about anything else— connection. Posting to social media, one citizen shared what the new line meant to him:
“Thank you @CityofEdmonton, @takeETSalert, and everyone who helped the Valley Line LRT become a reality! This allows me to connect with my dear ailing Opa much, much easier,” Anthony Goertz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Chris Berthelot, on X shared, “instead of a view from the train, I wanted to share this mural I found at Bonnie Doon Mall. The Valley Line doesn’t just help people get from Point A to B. It opens entire areas of the city for some people. Public transit matters.”
If you didn’t happen to catch that first train on November 4, don’t worry—Valley Line Southeast will be here for decades to come, and it will connect you in ways you never thought possible.
For more information on the Valley Line Southeast LRT project, go to edmonton.ca/valleylinesoutheast.
Editor’s note: the pic at the top of the post shows an impressive crowd waiting as the first Valley Line train pulls up to the platform on November 4, 2023.