Edmonton announces preferred Capital Line bidder

Key Takeaways:

• The preferred bidder is Capital Line Design-Builders, consisting of team members Ledcor and AECOM.
• The city will now enter into negotiations with Capital Line Design-Builders with the goal of awarding the contract by the end of May.
• The entire project is expected to cost around $1.1 billion. 

The Whole Story:

The City of Edmonton has selected its preferred bidder to design and build Phase 1 of the Capital Line South Extension from Century Park to just north of Ellerslie Road. 

The preferred bidder is Capital Line Design-Builders, consisting of team members Ledcor and AECOM.

The city will now enter into negotiations with Capital Line Design-Builders with the goal of awarding the contract by the end of May.

Construction of the 4.5-kilometre extension is scheduled to begin later this year. Construction is expected to take four to five years, followed by testing and commissioning. 

“We’d like to thank the bidding teams for participating in our procurement. We’re confident our fair and rigorous competitive process will ensure Phase 1 of the Capital Line South Extension will result in excellent value for Edmontonians and further strengthen our mass transit network,” said Bruce Ferguson, Branch Manager of LRT Expansion and Renewal with the City of Edmonton.

The city launched its Capital Line South procurement process in June 2022 and shortlisted two bidders in March 2023. Both bidders provided technical submissions, including draft designs and plans, to demonstrate their ability to meet the city’s technical requirements. Both bidders passed and were invited to submit a financial proposal. The city evaluated these proposals to ensure they met financial requirements, and the team with the highest combined technical and financial score was selected as the preferred bidder. 

Early works construction for Phase 1 of the Capital Line South extension is well underway and will continue throughout 2024. Major LRT construction along the alignment is anticipated to start later this year.

An economic assessment of the project estimates construction will generate $330 million in wages in Alberta and another $100 million throughout the country. The project is expected to generate 3,700 jobs in the province and another 1,700 across Canada.

The $1.1-billion project has funding commitments from the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton.

Capital Line was Edmonton’s first LRT. Planning for the line started in 1962, and service from Belvedere Station to Central Station began in time for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Between 1981 and 2006, six more stations opened, expanding the LRT line in the Northeast to the University area. Progress on the South portion of the Capital Line has occurred in stages. Preliminary Engineering from Century Park to Ellerslie Road was completed in 2010.