Edmonton police say one person was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following the collision near 75th Street and Whitemud Drive. City officials say the collision happened shortly before 10 a.m.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the people involved, as well as the other riders and staff involved in this incident," Ryan Birch, director of bus and security operations with Edmonton Transit Service, said in a statement around noon Tuesday.
"We appreciate the assistance of emergency responders who attended the scene. The city and [Valley Line operator] TransEd are working together, along with the Edmonton Police Service as they investigate the incident."
Buses are currently replacing LRT service between Mill Woods and the Davies station.
Images from the scene show an LRT train off its tracks and a semi-trailer stopped at an angle across the road beside the train.
Valley Line Crash Investigations
Tuesday's derailment was the second collision involving the Valley Line this week.
Just before 5:30 p.m. Monday, LRT service was disrupted after a cyclist "made contact" with a southbound Valley Line train at the intersection of 83rd Street and Whyte Avenue, near Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre, Birch said.
Semi-Truck Collision Details
A collision occurred Tuesday morning when a semi tractor trailer turned against a red light and was hit by an oncoming Valley Line LRT train, Edmonton police said. The crash happened just before 10:30 a.m. on 66/75th Street at the Whitemud Drive overpass. While the southbound LRT was approaching the Whitemud off ramp, police said the semi turned right against the red light to head north on 75th Street and was hit by the LRT. The train went off the tracks due to the collision. One person on the LRT was taken to hospital by EMS with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. As a result of the crash investigation, the off ramp from Whitemud Drive westbound onto 66/75 Street is currently closed. This story will be updated when the intersections reopens.
Cyclist Collision Details
The crash came less than a day after another collision involving the same Edmonton LRT line. Police said on Monday just after 5:30 p.m., there was a crash between a cyclist and the Valley Line at the 82 Avenue/Whyte Avenue crossing. Police said the LRT was travelling south when a a 49-year-old man on a bicycle going west proceeded against the red light and “made contact” with the driver’s side of the LRT. EMS took the man to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Safety Concerns
The 13-kilometre Valley Line southeast from Mill Woods to downtown is different from the city’s original high-floor LRT system that the Edmonton Transit Service operates. The line features low-floor, urban-styled trains that provide more pedestrian-friendly access with street-level stops. In residential and commercial areas, embedded tracks are integrated into the established design and traffic flow of the area — but that integration with existing infrastructure has come with growing pains for drivers. There have been more than a dozen crashes involving the Valley Line since it opened 10 months ago. The city and TransEd have said several times before the line opened that drivers would have to get used to not having crossing gates and audible bells in order to stay safe.
The line is built by public-private partnership contractor TransEd, a consortium made up of four companies: engineering firm Bechtel, construction company EllisDon, train builder Alstom (which acquired former builder Bombardier in 2021) and Fengate Asset Management. TransEd is responsible for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the line for the next 30 years.
What's Next?
Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) confirmed the victim is an employee of TransEd, the company that operates the Valley Line Southeast LRT. The off ramp from Whitemud Drive onto 66/75 Street was closed after the crash as police investigated. LRT service continued from Bonnie Doon to the 102 Street stops.
Sept. 23 to 27 is rail safety week in Canada. The city has tips for staying safe around LRT lines on its website.
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