Edmonton’s LRT Setting the Stage for Heading Further South

The City of Edmonton is one of Canada's fastest growing cities. The capital of Alberta, Edmonton currently houses over 750,000 people and has a metropolitan population of over 1.1 million people. By 2040, Edmonton is expected to grow by 400,000 people – an increase of over 50%. To accommodate the ever-growing population, Edmonton not only has to develop new infrastructure, but also a transportation network capable of supporting the growth. Within the city, Edmonton has one of the highest car dependency rates in Canada. A 2005 Household Travel survey indicated that public transportation accounts for only 9% of the 2.5 million trips made each day, while vehicular travel accounts for approximately 77%. Further, between 1994 and 2005, the total amount of kilometers traveled by automobile in the city increased by 32%, despite a population growth of only 13% over the same period. The development and expansion of the existing public transportation system is thus fundamental to the City’s Transportation Master Plan.