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ETS Centennial

 

Join the Ride of the Century!

In November 1908, the Edmonton Radial Railway began public transportation service to the citizens of Edmonton and its twin city Strathcona. At that time, it was the only one between Winnipeg and the Pacific coast, and was the furthest north on the continent.

From a modest fleet of four streetcars travelling 21 kilometres of track, ETS now operates a fleet of over 900 vehicles on more than 150 routes, as well as an expanding Light Rail Transit (LRT) system and a specialized public transportation service for people with disabilities (DATS) that will continue to serve our growing community as we head into our second century.

In 2008, ETS celebrated 100 years of history! And what a year it was with several major events held to commemorate this milestone:

Canadian Urban Transit Association Annual Conference kicked off the Centennial year with Edmonton Transit hosting the national association conference May 24-28. The Association represents the public transit community in Canada.

Travel Through Time was held at Fort Edmonton on June 15. The Edmonton Radial Railway Society (ERRS) and ETS showed off their vintage streetcars and transit buses as well as artifacts and historical displays at Father’s Day at the Fort. The ERRS had a special opening of their streetcar barns for the public to learn the craft of rebuilding vintage streetcars, and the role of streetcars in Edmonton’s history.

ETS Homecoming on June 21 saw over 1,000 past and present ETS employees and their families celebrate our Centennial at Fort Edmonton Park.

Capital Ex Parade bestowed the honour of leading the parade to Edmonton Transit’s Pipes and Drum Band, and a fleet of vintage and new buses.

ETS Historical Tours operated between July 26 and August 23. The tour itineraries were expanded in 2008 and included a new route following the original streetcar line. An optional High Level Bridge Streetcar ride (operated by the ERRS) connected to select historical tours. Hundreds of Edmontonians and visitors took a ride on an ETS vintage bus along routes that included many historical landmarks, and travelled along roadways that at one time carried streetcar lines. Commentary was provided by local transit historian, Douglas Cowan, assisted by Kevin Brown.

ETS Transit Centennial Week was held September 12 – 20. The launch for the Centennial Week was held on September 12 and included an official proclamation by the Deputy Mayor. ETS took over Churchill Square for nine days of excitement that attracted over 40,000 attendees. The Centennial Week featured Streetcar No. 1 (courtesy of the ERRS), displays of vintage vehicles, an “antique road show”, historic tours, live concerts, movie in the Square, displays, school tour groups, costumed period actors, family entertainment, live play, prizes, ETS facility tours, and fun for the whole family!

VIT (Very Important Transit) Event was hosted at the Shaw Conference Centre on November 8, and was the wind-up for the ETS Centennial year. The event featured historical videos, vehicles, displays, and presentations around the theme of “future visions” for public transportation in Edmonton.

In addition to the lasting memories, the Centennial has left the community with a number of legacies.

• In preparation for the Centennial celebration, a number of Edmonton Transit’s vintage vehicles were restored: Unit #5 1939 Leyland Cub, Unit # 59 1950 Fageol Twin Coach, and Unit # 202 1953 Brill trolley. These newly restored historical vehicles joined the rest of the ETS vintage fleet, and will be used in displays and special tours throughout the year.
• ETS has retained a consultant to review options for the ETS archival material and vintage fleet, and to determine how these treasures can be maintained and presented to the community for future generations.
• ETS has commissioned the writing of a book to capture our first one-hundred years of operation from the streetcar period to today with our sleek new LRT vehicles and clean-burning diesel buses. The book will be available in 2010.

Edmonton Transit has certainly grown over the past one-hundred years of operation. A few name changes and colour alterations over the years have accompanied the vast changes in technology and size of the system. Our operation relies on more than 2,000 employees today, including 1,400 operators, to provide public transportation to all citizens of Edmonton, including those with disabilities.

Through one-hundred years of history a common thread that has carried us is people and service. Ideas come and go. Technology evolves. But our core business remains the same now as it was a century ago – connecting people and places, and doing so as safely and efficiently as possible.

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