Contractor says signalling system is not holding up Metro line

The signalling system blamed for delaying the Metro LRT Line has been safe to use for months, the contractor says.

"We have provided the city with what they need to open the new line,"Emmanuelle Bleytou, a spokesperson for Thales Group, said in a statement.

City managers confirmed the company completed the handover in March. But transportation manager Dorian Wandzura said the city's engineer thinksthe signalling system is still not ready.

"They are the ones that give us the advice on how to protect the city's and the citizens' interests," Wandzura said.

Thales Group still has staff in Edmonton, working to rectify some of the city's concerns.

"An example of the remaining activities is to complete the integration of the new signal technology on the old line," Bleytou said.

Councillors berate city managers

City council channelled all the anger, frustration they've heard from the public over the Metro LRT line delays as they berated city managers earlier this week.

Tuesday'smeeting was initially scheduled to be private, but Mayor Don Iveson asked that the public to be allowed to listen.

• Councillors dumbfounded by Metro LRT report outlining major deficiencies

"Because of my frustration and council's frustration and the public's frustration with this project I'd like to hear clearly from this administration, and in public, just what is going on," Iveson said.

The meeting comes a day after a leaked report detailed flaws in the the construction of the line, flaws that councillors were unaware of.

The report, leaked to the Edmonton Journal, lists a series of flaws in the construction of the line, including water pooling on the tracks, loose guard rails, and compromised electrical conduits used in the signaling and communication systems.

"This has been an embarrassment," Coun. Bev Esslinger told the project's managers. She said people in her ward have lost confidence in the city's ability to take on large projects.

The leaked report, which was outlined by the Edmonton Journal, is one of 80 that was used to identify problems with the line.

The city manager and project manager defended their decision not to present the report to city council. They said the problems were a routine part of any large construction project, and that they did not contribute to the 15-month delay of the opening of the line.

They maintain the report is of little consequence and that all the flaws listed therein have been rectified.

City aimsfor fall opening

Wandzura said the city is now working forward a fall opening for the line.

"I believe that this will get going by school," Wandzura said.

Coun. Bev Esslinger and Coun. Andrew Knack were skeptical the city's contractors will pull it off.

"I'm not at all confident that we're going to make it by the next school year," Knack said.

The city plans to reinstate bus service for the NAIT students travelling to and from downtown if the line does not open in time.

"It's just maddening that we can't even tell the public when we might get it going," Iveson said.

He is looking forward to a report from the city auditor, which she hopes will shed light on who is accountable for the delays.

The audit report is expected at the end of August.

In the meantime, the $655 million Metro LRT line is still incomplete 15 months behind schedule with no firm opening date set.