Edmonton's LRT on track to turn 40 this weekend

Lloyd Meyer remembers the start of the line 40 years ago.

"We walked into Central Station and it was still under construction and it went as far as Belvedere and we thought, 'Wow, this is amazing,' " Meyer recalls.

Meyer,now the manager of LRT operations for Edmonton Transit,marvels at the changes.

"When we first started of course there was no such thing as computers. We were still working off typewriters and hand-written logs."

'I'm a kid with a really big train set'

7 years ago

Duration 1:26

Meet Lloyd Meyer. The Edmonton Transit Service manager of LRT operations has been with the trains he loves since 1977.

When regular service started in April 1978, the track was 6.9 kilometres long and a monthly pass cost$15.

The city's goal was for Western Canada's first light rail transit to berunning in time to takethe crowds attending the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

Since then the fleet has grown from 14 cars to94.

Craig McKeown says while the 40th anniversary is cause for celebration, it also means some of the cars reaching the end of their life span.

"That means maintenance requirements are quite a bit higher," saidMcKeown,director of engineering and maintenance, who works out of the D. L. MacDonald Garage in northeast Edmonton.

"We are looking at purchasing a new fleet, a renewal fleet, which will likely take place 2025-26."

Janis Noble hopes to be a part of that future. For the last 24 years she's been the voice of the Edmonton Transit Service lending her golden tonesto recording messages for BusLink, the LRT and now smart buses.

When transit users find out what Noble does for a living, manyhave a "meltdown."

"I get these squeals of excitement. It's like, 'You're real, you're a person.' They all think I'm an automated voice but I'm a real person," smiles Noble.

'You're real! You're a person?'

7 years ago

Duration 1:27

You may not know her face but if you taken the bus or the train in Edmonton you'll likely recognize her voice. Meet Janis Noble the voice of ETS.

For Noble taking transit is more than just getting from point A to point B.

"I ride the bus everyday. You have your regulars, you talk to the driver, it's a sense of community."

You can see more from the D. L. MacDonald Garage this week on Our Edmonton:Saturdayat10 a.m.,Sundayat4 p.m. and 11 a.m.on Mondayon CBC TV.