As of 2018, it was number seven on a list of the busiest light rail transit systems in North America, with over 113,000 daily weekday riders.

Construction on the second phase of the Valley Line, connecting downtown to west Edmonton, began in fall 2021 and is scheduled for completion by 2028.

[10] During the 1960s and early 1970s, city-commissioned studies recommended a number of city-wide transportation systems such as heavy rail transit lines, and freeway networks.

[10] The city opted to study LRT as a "balanced" solution; being more cost effective and flexible than heavy rail (i.e., subways), but higher-capacity and less expensive in the long-term than bus-only networks utilizing freeways.

[10] Edmonton's northeast section was selected as the first area to receive transportation improvements, because its road network was at risk of being overwhelmed by new developments.

[12] During planning and construction, the managers of various departments and city-owned utilities coordinated through a Municipal Planning Commission, which allowed the city to reserve a path for the LRT; this included controlling the location of piles under the Edmonton Plaza Hotel to allow for LRT tunnels to be constructed later.

[11] As well, members of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering served as advisors for the project, and conducted research in areas such as transportation planning, traffic management, soil mechanics, and tunnelling.

[11] Edmonton became the first city in North America with a metropolitan population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system.

In November 1980, Edmonton Transit (as it was then named) switched to a modified European-style "proof of payment" system, retaining the old turnstiles to issue the new receipts.

[16] Fares were now collected by automated ticket vending machines with irregular proof of payment inspectors, which permitted keeping all entrances open and required fewer staff.

The 1998 and 2001 upgrades to the Belvedere and Clareview stations involved installation of roofs and lengthening of platforms to accommodate five-car trains.

[14] The LRT system continues to expand, and operated with 18 stations, 24.3 km (15.1 mi) of double track and ridership of 110,786 average weekday boardings in 2018.

During the construction of the Capital Line, surface area was preserved (although costs increased) by tunnelling under the downtown core and the University of Alberta main campus.

Another 11 stops were built for the first phase of the Valley Line, which opened in late 2023: 102 Street, Quarters, Muttart, Strathearn, Holyrood, Bonnie Doon, Avonmore, Davies, Millbourne/​Woodvale, Grey Nuns, Mill Woods.

New street-level platforms and an entrance were built at Churchill Station in order to allow transfers between the Valley Line and the rest of the LRT network.

Forty six more low-floor LRT vehicles were ordered in 2021 from Hyundai Rotem for the Valley Line, to be put in service when the West extension to Lewis Farms opens.

[37] Some of the most serious incidents include: The cash fare for passengers using ETS buses and the LRT, since February 1, 2025, is $3.75 for adults, seniors and youth.

[48] Alternatively, passengers can pay a fare of $3.00 by tapping their Arc card on validators located at the entrances to proof-of-payment areas.

[51] Passengers in an LRT proof-of-payment area must present proof of payment upon request by a transit peace officer.

[55] City council approved funding to begin preliminary engineering on the Valley Line from Mill Woods to Lewis Farms in June 2011.

A planned expansion to Lewis Farms, with the West Edmonton Mall en route, is under construction as part of the 27-kilometre (17 mi) Valley Line.

[68][69] On November 1, 2018, the Government of Alberta announced a contribution of $1.04 billion towards the second phase of the Valley Line, extending it west to Lewis Farms with an estimated completion date of 2027–28.

Trains only ran at a maximum of 25 km/h (16 mph) between the Churchill and NAIT stations, creating passenger delays and traffic congestion.

[14] On January 1, 2006, the line was extended 0.6 km (0.37 mi) south through the University Campus to Health Sciences Station, which is located at street level.

[81] The LRT expansion was developed entirely at surface level with several underpasses after 2006, one at Belgravia Road and the other under 111 Street south of 61 Avenue.

[86] On July 2, 2009, the federal and provincial governments approved the reallocation of funding from the proposed Gorman Station extension to the Metro line as the city felt that NAIT was a higher priority.

Within this line the proposed stations are: Quarters, Muttart, Strathearn, Holyrood, Bonnie Doon, Avonmore, Davies (to include a bus terminal and park & ride),[96] Millbourne/Woodvale, Grey Nuns, and Mill Woods Town Centre.

[98] The city hoped to have money in place by the end of 2013 for the $1.8-billion LRT line from downtown to Mill Woods to start construction in 2016.

[108] The city claims that frequencies in the downtown core will reach 2.5 minutes with the fixed-block system, but the current schedule is for 5-minute headways.

The CBTC system was supposed to use computer control to maintain a fixed distance of empty space (a moving block) between trains.