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COMMUTER CHAOS STORY

Edmonton LRT shut down for 4+ hours after train hits, kills pedestrian

FROM: Edmonton, Alberta – September 19, 2018

UPDATE – September 20, 2018: We are saddened to hear that the pedestrian involved in this incident with a light rail train has died of his injuries.

Commuter chaos: A portion of Edmonton’s Light Rail Transit system was shut down for more than 4 hours due to a fatal collision between a train and a pedestrian at an at-grade crossing.

According to Global News Edmonton and the Edmonton Journal, the pedestrian – who was hit shortly after 7:00 PM Mountain Time – was trapped by the train, sustaining life-threatening injuries. Edmonton Transit System was been forced to suspend light rail service through the area and run shuttle buses until it was able to restore regular service on the LRT at approximately 11:30 PM Mountain Time.

This is the second instance of a light rail shut down caused by accident today in a Canadian city. Earlier today, a Toronto streetcar was derailed in a collision with an ambulance, causing a two-hour shut down of service.

Collisions could happen frequently on future Surrey LRT

Once again, this incident highlights a major, fundamental flaw of the proposed street-running light rail system endorsed by TransLink, the Regional Mayors’ Council, and the City of Surrey. The proposed Surrey Light Rail Transit system will run at street level on segments of 104th Avenue, King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway.

Incidents like this where LRT trains are involved in collisions with vehicles or pedestrians can prove fatal for those who are hit, and generally necessitate complete shut downs of that segment of the LRT system.

SkyTrain for Surrey has called for the cancellation of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project, the conversion of the Surrey-Langley LRT into a SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line, and the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on King George Boulevard and 104th Avenue (instead of an LRT).

With BRT’s ability to detour around accident areas, and SkyTrain’s ability to simply pass overhead, a rapid transit system built on SkyTrain and BRT would not be subject to total disruptions.

Surrey residents expect their future rapid transit system to be a trustworthy and reliable service. A street-running LRT system will not deliver one.

About SkyTrain for Surrey

SkyTrain for Surrey is the community organization that advocated for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and continues to push for high-quality rapid transit projects in Surrey and Langley. We began as a petition calling for the scrapping of a street-level LRT proposal, which eventually amassed more than 6,000 signatures, and later contributed to making SkyTrain an election issue as a registered third-party advertiser. SkyTrain for Surrey continues to call for high-quality projects that offer a positive return-on-investment and recognize the rapidly increasing demand for transit.

Media Contact:

Daryl Dela Cruz ​– Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey
Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]

Edmonton LRT shut down for 4+ hours after train hits, kills pedestrian