Calgary City Council votes yes on province’s Green Line LRT alignment

Calgary City Council voted yes on the Green Line LRT, getting shovels in the ground this year in the southeast and beginning work immediately on the connection into the downtown.

This decision reflects months of work with the Province of Alberta on a path forward for the largest infrastructure investment in Calgary’s history.

Realizing the significant investments already made through 60 per cent design and enabling construction delivery on the SE Segment from Shepard to the Event Centre/Grand Central Station, the start of main construction will mark the most significant milestone in project history.

Concurrent to construction starting in the southeast, The City will begin work immediately on the Functional Plan required for the Downtown Segment to advance design, validate the Province’s cost estimates, understand potential impacts to existing infrastructure and engage the public to ensure the project is broadly supported by Calgarians prior to starting construction. This work was identified by the Province as outstanding, and the responsibility of The City to undertake.

“The Green Line is a critical piece of transportation infrastructure and an investment in Canada’s fastest growing city,” said David Duckworth, Chief Administrative Officer. “Today’s decision helps us plan and build for Calgary’s best future.”

The concurrent delivery and development of the SE and Downtown Segments will build the backbone of an over 46-kilometre plan that will connect Calgarians to more options for work, homes, and activities.

To realize this direction, The City will now work with the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada on approval of the updated Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) business case to ensure all previous funding commitments can be realized and invested into Calgary’s future.

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Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen issued the a statement on Calgary City Council voting to proceed with the Green Line LRT project:

“Alberta’s government is pleased that Calgary City Council has voted to proceed with a better Green Line alignment that will add five more stations, is 76 per cent longer, and will serve 60 per cent more Calgarians.

“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the City of Calgary and working with the federal government to finalize the updated business case. With this decision, we are ready to move forward and get shovels in the ground as early as this spring.

“This is a win for Calgary, for Alberta, and for the future of public transit in our province.”

The Calgary Construction Association also issued a satement on city council’s Green Line LRT project approval.

“The Calgary Construction Association (CCA) is cautiously optimistic following City Council’s decision to approve the latest alignment of the Green Line LRT project. Earlier this week, the CCA submitted a letter urging the project to move forward immediately with construction of the Southeast segment from the new event centre to Shepard, while continuing to study and assess the impacts of the downtown portion. We are encouraged to see Council’s recommendations align with this approach, allowing critical infrastructure to proceed while ensuring further due diligence on downtown connectivity and feasibility.”

Featured image: (City of Calgary)

One comment

  1. Big win for Calgary! The Green Line LRT is going to make a huge difference in connecting the city, especially with the focus on the southeast and downtown.

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