Trains on the Metro LRT could be running at full speed by the end of the year, but it could take longer for the line to get up to the planned level of service.

Mayor Don Iveson said Wednesday the city's independent auditor is working to prove the line's signalling system is safe to use, but the contractor still has work to do to get the line working properly.

The line has been operating at half-speed and reduced frequency since September, while Rail Safety Consulting works to verify the safety certificate issued by the signalling system contractor in March.

The contractor, Thales, has claimed for months the system was safe and ready to go, but Hatch Mott MacDonald, the city's engineering consultant, has repeatedly said there are gaps in the documentation provided by Thales.

"We could turn it up to full speed if the safety certificate checks out," said Iveson, who is expecting to find out by the end of December.

Even when the line is deemed safe, there's no timeline for when it would be fully operational. Thales has still not retrofitted all of the city's LRT cars with their signalling technology.

"We need all of the train cars able to run on the system because you've got the Metro Line trains and the Capital Line trains all needing to be able to move around each," Iveson said.

"They are way, way behind on that."

Once the line is fully operational, trains will run at 50 km/h every ten minutes.