On Sept. 8th, the city’s executive committee chose a surface level alignment for the long-awaited Green Line project, running along 10 ave. S.W. and 2 St. S.W.
“Construction is already underway in the southeast. Today gets us closer to delivering the backbone of the full 46-kilometre Green Line,” said Mayor Jeromy Farkas in a statement on social media.
This project has faced years of delays and uncertainty. It has been under consideration since the mid-1980s, with the planning stage beginning in 2011.
The revised alignment was one of three proposed routes, with it remaining at street level and fitting within the project’s current budget.
The first proposed option included an elevated track along 10th Avenue and 2nd Street S.W. that would end above 7th Avenue. This is the same alignment proposed by the provincial government in 2024, after resuming its funding contribution toward the Green Line.
The second option also included an elevated track above 10th Avenue, but would turn right and take passengers up 1st Street S.E., instead of 2nd Street S.W.
While these options presented higher potential ridership, committee members overwhelmingly supported the third option of a surface-level track through the beltline in a 12-1 vote.
Only Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness voted against it, with councillors Landon Johnston and Harrison Clark being absent.
The endorsed option has a projected ridership of 41,000 passengers per day, attracting the fewest projected riders of the three proposals.
The city’s director of the Green Line project, Wendy Tynan, said Option 3 is the only alignment that stays within the city’s current budget for the project, according to the Calgary Herald.
Option one would require up to $1 billion in additional costs, while the second would require $500 million, according to the city’s analysis.
These extra costs would have to be covered by the City of Calgary.
"It's kind of obvious to me that Option 1 and Option 2 require money that we simply do not have, and no plan for how to get that money, which makes it pretty obvious to me that we should be looking at option number three," Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly said at the committee meeting.
"Obviously there were better versions of the Green Line, but it would require billions of dollars more than what we had. And I want those billions of dollars spent on essential infrastructure throughout the city," Farkas said.
Original plans for the project had the Green Line tunnelling under the downtown core, but was scrapped after the province pulled its $1.5 billion share of funding.
The province has made it clear it does not want an underground LRT downtown.
The city says portions of the roadway will need to be reconfigured to accommodate the line. The impacts on traffic and parking are still being discussed.
The southeast portion of the Green Line between Shepard and the Event Centre/Grand Central Station area is targeted to begin carrying passengers in 2031.
The city has not established an opening date for the proposed downtown section. The final vote will be held at an upcoming full meeting of council.
