One hundred years ago this November, the Edmonton Radial Railway began providing public transportation to the citizens of Edmonton. From a modest fleet of four streetcars traveling 21 kilometres of track, the Edmonton Transit System now operates a fleet of 900 vehicles on more than 150 routes.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, Edmonton Transit begins “Transit Centenary Week,” next Friday, September 12th. The event will include rides on historic buses, multimedia displays, family entertainment, cool artifacts and transit memorabilia dating back to 1908. Headquarters for all the activities will be Sir Winston Churchill Square, right in front of City Hall.

“There is fun and history for everyone on Churchill Square during Transit Centennial Week,” says Pat Church, community relations market planner for the Edmonton Transit System. “From concerts for young children and teens to free tours on vintage buses to street performers and the Big Tent housing the Transit Antiques Roadshow. Nobody should miss this once-in-a-hundred-years celebration of transit history.”

The square will be populated with vintage transit vehicles including 1939 Leyland #5, 1944 Pullman Trolley #113, 1947 Brill Trolley #148, 1948 Brill Gas #99, 1950 Fageol FTC-180 Twin #59, and 1957 GM #432. The star of the vintage collection is Streetcar #1, which has been restored to its last-use condition by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society. Always popular trolley tours will run the afternoons of September 13, 14 and 20th. Brill trolley #202 will leave on the hour from stop #1707 in front of the library and travel for 20 minutes through downtown. Free tickets are available for the trolley tours on the day of the tours from the information booth.

Given that city council voted earlier this summer to pull the plug on Edmonton Transit’s electric trolleys, this may be the last chance to ride one. The city will soon begin ripping out the electric lines and trolley infrastructure, and once it’s gone, there will be no way to run the trolleys on Edmonton streets.

Centennial Route Tours will also run on September 13, 14 and 20th, leaving every two hours starting at 11:30 am. Catch the bus northbound on 100th Street, on the west side of Churchill Square. Tickets are also available at the information booth on the day of the excursions.

The Edmonton Radial Railway Society will run their very popular High Level Streetcar Tour on September 13th and 14th from 11 am to 4 pm. A shuttle will run every 40 minutes between Churchill Square and the Grandin Streetcar stop.

ETS has invited friends and partners to bring their vintage vehicles to the Square to add to the fun. On September 13th and 14th, vehicles will be on display from the Edmonton Police Service, Yellow Cab, and Fort Edmonton Park.

Alongside the history there will be some modern vehicles, including a New Flyer Hybrid, and a DATS lift van. Throughout the week, veteran staff and Edmonton Transit retirees will be on hand to tell stories of the vintage buses, and the people who nurtured and operated the city’s public transit system.

Behind-the-scenes tours will be offered at the ETS garages. On September 13th from 10 am to 2 pm, an open house at the Percy Wickman Garage at 5610 86th Street will provide a look at how Edmonton Transit’s dedicated service to people with disabilities works.

At D.L. MacDonald Garage, the headquarters for the LRT cars, visitors will be able to get a sneak peek at the next generation of cars – the new LRV – from noon to 4 pm on September 20th. Take the free LRT to Clareview station from Churchill and hop aboard the free shuttle train. Tickets are free, but they’re required, and can be obtained at the information booth at Churchill Square. The Thomas Ferrier Garage at 8620 58th Avenue will also be open to the public on September 20th from noon to 4 pm.

Entertainment includes a multi-band concert the evening of Sept. 12th, face painting and street performers on the afternoons of September 13th and 20th, and musical performances during the afternoon September 14th. Presented by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society, the Sunday concert will feature Le Fuzz, Ayla Brook, Manraygun, Ben Sures, and Robin Hunter and Six Foot Bullies.

The evening of September 19th Rapid Fire Theatre presents two performances of “Kiss My Bus”, a live play on a bus on the Square. The next night, September 20th, the Centennial Finale offers up Movies on the Square, starting at 8:30 pm.

Today, Edmonton Transit's fleet is comprised of more than 850 diesel and trolley buses, and 29 community buses. The system reaches out over more than 150 routes, including a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system with 37 vehicles and 11 stations. ETS also offers transportation to persons with disabilities, called the Disabled Adult Transit Service (DATS). On a typical day, publically owned and operated ETS carries 16 per cent of Edmonton’s population.

Including an LRT and DATS facility, Edmonton Transit has five operating garages, and an information centre located in Churchill Station. Mobile Equipment Services (MES) performs fleet maintenance in four centres, and one heavy repair facility.

It’s glorious to see that the history is being preserved and celebrated, because it really has been a remarkable journey across a century.

For more information on the 100th anniversary celebration, visit www.takeets.com