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Maximizing the Valley Line Potential


Since its grand opening in 2023, the Valley Line has been steadily evolving—but there’s still plenty of room to elevate the rider experience.


Here are some impactful ways we can enhance the Valley Line for every commuter:


Smarter Screen Integration

The onboard screens have great potential—they’re already large and connected to train door sensors, but they’re not being used to their full capacity.


Ideas for improvement:


  • Display real-time service updates, disruptions, and city news.

  • When a passenger presses the accessibility button, light up a nearby screen blue to indicate the closest exit.

  • Better end-of-line labeling to avoid confusion, where unclear stop orders are causing confusion.




Fix the Announcements

The original Valley Line announcements were clear, calm, and matched the sleek feel of the line. However, newer updates—especially at Muttart, Davies, and the Churchill Connector—have lost consistency:


  • Voices are mismatched, too fast, and not repeated like before.

  • Davies only makes one announcement on arrival—there’s no confirmation when leaving the stops to Davies.

  • Key connector announcements (like Churchill) should be slower, clearer, and repetitive.


Suggested Fix: Unify the voices across the line and return to the original, more polished style.



Expand Rider Awareness

The Valley Line is more than just stops—it’s a community link. To improve that, announcements should:


  • Highlight Arc card usage, safety reminders, and park-and-ride features like at Davies.

  • Play more transit watch announcements often, especially in tunnels and transfer zones.

  • Extend announcements to outdoor and lower-level areas at Davies, which currently don’t receive audio notices such as Arc, enforcement and safety messages.




Better Signage + Cleanliness

Information needs to be visible and reliable.


  • Add train time displays in key areas like the upper portion of the Churchill Connector.

  • Improve signage that clearly shows destinations and stop progressions.

  • And yes—the bird poop problem at Churchill, 102 Street, and Quarters needs urgent cleanup. Riders notice.




Art + Future Plans

We’re still waiting to see what art installation will be unveiled at Millbourne/Woodvale—currently the only stop without one. It’s also time to hear more from the city and TransEd about long-term Valley Line West integrations and updates with the new Hyundai Rotem LRV trains arriving this summer and potentially beginning testing. We still have a lot to learn but we do know only one carrier will operate the entire Valley Line once the west portion is completed but the city says it doesn’t know who and if TransEd will operate the line and if not them who’s on the line for the operations of the line.



The Bottom Line

The Valley Line is a beautiful system with smart design at its core—but it’s time to unlock its full potential with practical improvements, clearer info, and a rider-first mindset.


Final ask from TransEd although it may be overkill I missed it when the trains would announce it was the last stop and say “Thank you for riding the Edmonton Valley Line”


Conclusion

Overall, the Valley Line LRT has truly delivered — from its pedestrian-friendly design to upgraded features like clearer displays, enhanced audio cues, and modern visuals. It’s setting a new standard for rider experience, and even the existing train lines are taking notes. There is just always something that you can improve on and Valley Line are some things that should be improved on from ETS and TransEd and these are things can the Valley Line should be looking and and considering.


Mixed Journalism Canada

Edmonton, AB

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