Snow and LRT outage hit Edmonton commuters with double whammy
A skiff of snow here, an LRT power outage there, next thing you know ...
How was your commute?
OK. Not funny.
Things were kind of messed up across Edmonton this morning, with problems on the LRT lines and a skiff of snow on the roads.
As happens every year when the snow first falls, traffic backed up across the city.
As happens every year, some drivers seemed to forget that snow can be, well, slippery.
Police said 19 collisions were reported to the main 911 dispatch line between 6 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. this morning.
That total didn't include accidents reported to district police stations across the city.
Of the 19 collisions, five involved injuries, and one was a hit and run.
As happens every year, police took the opportunity to remind everyone to take extra precautions while driving on winter roads. The suggestions included:
- Give yourself extra driving time to get to your destination;
- Drive slowly;
- Leave extra space for other vehicles;
- Remove all snow and ice from all windows before driving;
- Ensure your tires have adequate tread and pressure;
- Put an emergency kit in your vehicle.
But even those who left their cars at home, or only drove as far as the nearest LRT parking lot, also had problems getting around the city this morning.
A power outage at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday just north of Churchill Station shut down both LRT lines just as Oilers fans were leaving Rexall Place after the hockey game. Buses were dispatched to replace LRT service.
The LRT problems continued Thursday morning. The Capital line ran on a reduced schedule, with trains every 10 minutes. Extra buses were put on to carry passengers from Coliseum to Corona stations.
On the Metro Line, trains were only running from MacEwan to NAIT, and extra buses were put into service to carry commuters from Corona to Kingsway stations
City officials say repair crews are still trying to determine what caused the power outage and how much damage it did.
The city will hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. to pass on further information about when service will return to normal.