NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT set to open

NAIT students will disembark at the new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT Station starting January 20. The City of Edmonton recently announced that Phase 1 of the Metro Line Northwest LRT extension has been completed on budget and ahead of schedule. 

The new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT Station is beside NAIT’s Blatchford development lands and will provide central access to NAIT’s growing Main Campus. The new LRT station has a longer platform than the current temporary NAIT Station, increasing service capacity from three-car trains on the Metro Line up to five-car trains, to accommodate peak service and ridership growth.

Once the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station opens January 20, service will cease at the current temporary NAIT Station. Service frequency and bus service to the new station will remain unchanged compared to service to the temporary NAIT station. Salvaging of materials and other demolition activities will commence at the temporary NAIT Station in the coming months.  

The new NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT Station and increased train car capacity will make it easier for staff and students to commute to and from campus, which is instrumental as the institution looks to expand Main Campus onto the Blatchford lands in the coming years. 

Quick Facts 

• The Metro Line, including the NAIT LRT Station, opened in 2015. It connects NAIT, MacEwan University, and University of Alberta with Edmonton’s city centre. 
• The NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT Station is the first phase of the City of Edmonton’s Metro Line Northwest Extension. The project plans to eventually have 9 stops from NAIT to Campbell Road, just south of St. Albert. 
• Solar panels have been installed on the station. These panels will help supply approximately two-thirds of the station’s electricity needs. 
• North of the station has been designed for pedestrians, including landscaping and places to rest. It connects the station to 123 Avenue.