Edmonton's LRT expansion follows 16-year-old 100-year plan with six proposed lines by 2109
The Valley Line West is on track with the city's 2009 vision, though unprecedented population growth since then has outpaced the original ridership projections.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT expansion is hammering forward this summer with key milestones expected by season's end — and the project aligns remarkably well with a vision the city laid out 16 years ago.
In 2009, the City of Edmonton shared a 100-year plan for expanding the LRT system. The plan hoped to have 63 stops on six lines, stretching into four corners of the city, by 2109. The system then had two lines — Metro and Capital — with 13 stops and two new stations already approved (Southgate and Century Park).
Edmonton's population has exploded since then. Provincial data shows the city's population has risen more than 50 per cent, reaching more than 1.2 million people in 2025. The greater metro region sits at nearly 1.7 million. ETS ridership consistently reaches 5 million per month and is gradually recovering from a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sandeep Agrawal, a professor at the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning, said Edmonton is on track to follow the original plan. "Edmonton is strategically on track to follow that plan," he said. "It aligns quite well with the city plan that was approved back in 2020, the growth nodes and long-term population targets."
However, the unprecedented growth has also created challenges. "That is the sort of chicken-and-egg situation that we are in," Agrawal said. "It's moving in the right direction, but at this point in time, the LRT system won't be able to keep up with the population."
Edmonton currently has three LRT lines and 30 stops. The southeast Valley Line, stretching from the city's core to Mill Woods, started operating in November 2023. The Valley Line's western section — which will add 19 stops, expanding from downtown to the Brewery District, Misericordia hospital, West Edmonton Mall and Lewis Farms — is expected to be completed in 2028. Marigold Infrastructure Partners, the company building the Valley Line West, expects to finish all trackwork from Stony Plain Road to Lewis Farms by year's end.
The facts
What was Edmonton's LRT expansion plan from 2009?
In 2009, the City of Edmonton shared a 100-year plan to expand the LRT system to six lines with 63 stops stretching into four corners of the city by 2109.
How much has Edmonton's population grown since 2009?
Edmonton's population has risen more than 50 per cent since 2009, reaching more than 1.2 million people in 2025, with the greater metro region sitting at nearly 1.7 million.
When will the Valley Line West be completed?
The Valley Line West in Edmonton is expected to be completed in 2028 and will add 19 stops expanding from downtown to the Brewery District, Misericordia hospital, West Edmonton Mall and Lewis Farms.
