You may have noticed something interesting taking shape beside NAIT campus. Across the parking lot from the Arena and Gymnasium is the Brigadier James Curry Jefferson Armoury, and right beside it, something has been going up over the past few years.
It is the new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT Station, a replacement for the current NAIT Station, and it opened to the public Saturday, January 20.
When the current NAIT Station was built in 2015, it was only intended to be a temporary station. That’s why, less than a decade later, it was replaced by a new, permanent station about 300 metres west that serves NAIT and the Blatchford community.
The previous station could only accommodate three cars per train, but the newer station can fit up to five. This should help alleviate a bit of the congestion some peak-hour trains on the Metro Line currently struggle with.
Beyond the increased capacity, this new station touts solar-panel exteriors providing renewable energy, along with a plaza in front of the station for improved accessibility. It will also be the first new station not part of the Valley Line to have platforms on the sides of the station, instead of a centre platform.
But the key feature, especially with the Valley Line’s recent opening, is that expanded capacity for Metro Line trains will accommodate southeast-Edmonton NAIT students connecting to the line at Churchill Station. The ride to campus, especially at the busiest points of the day, won’t be as significant.
Next stop: NAIT/Blatchford Market. Welcome to your new LRT Station, NAIT!
Cover photo by Alex “Lexi” McFarlane
