Why isn’t Calgary Transit running four-car CTrains during Stampede?

In 2022, Calgary Transit said it would be reintroducing four-car trains, but a year and a half later that still hasn’t happened. Calgarians say it’s time to bring back the extra car permanently. Jayden Wasney reports.

CTrain riders experiencing busy rides during Stampede week may be asking why the trains aren’t running with four cars during the 10-day event.

There’s a legitimate reason why, according to Calgary Transit.

Trains are running around the clock during the Calgary Stampede, but without the additional car that is typically the norm amid busy events. Melissa Morrow with Calgary Transit says it’s because of construction at the Haysboro Storage Facility.

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“Logistically, we aren’t able to have the four-car trains because we don’t have the space,” she says. “With the Haysboro expansion we will have the platform that is capable of handling larger trains.”

Morrow says there will be four-car trains once again in the future when there is capacity for it.

“We know that it does help our service and it will be beneficial to our customers,” she says. “We want to have this expanded garage and have the facilities that will be able to maintain them and store them properly.”

Expansion to the facility in the city’s southwest began in January and will be finished in the fall of 2025.

The older-style CTrains with the white, purple, and blue graphics will be fully retired sometime soon.