CALGARY, ALTA. — The Alberta government is proposing a reworked Green Line light rail transit route in Calgary that it says would serve more communities and save more than $1 billion.
The province contracted consulting firm AECOM in July to find alternatives to the city’s latest proposal, which would have involved a tunnel through downtown and run a drastically shorter distance than earlier planned.
Calgary City Council voted to wind down the $6.2-billion project in September after the province said it would pull its $1.5-billion in funding without a major project overhaul.
The federal government has also committed $1.5 billion.
The Alberta government says based on the AECOM report, it is proposing a new Green Line alignment that would connect 7th Avenue downtown to a station at Shepard on the Calgary’s southeastern edge.
The province says it would save $1 billion by using elevated tracks downtown instead of a tunnel, and would connect to two other lines serving the northeast and northwest as well as a new NHL arena set to open in 2027.
“This alignment adds five more stops, will be 76 per cent longer and will serve 60 per cent more Calgarians — all within the same budget,” Alberta Transport Minister Devin Dreeshen said in a news release.
“The ball is now in Calgary city council’s court to approve this alignment and to finally start construction on the Green Line in the new year.”
©2024 The Canadian Press
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