Calgary’s new council briefed on Green Line LRT progress

Calgary’s newly elected city council is getting up to speed on the progress of the Green Line LRT, with officials reporting that work on the southeast leg of the project is advancing smoothly.

At Tuesday’s Executive Committee meeting, councillors heard that design work on nine stations stretching from Shepard to Ramsay/Inglewood has reached 90 per cent completion.

“We are making great progress,” said Wendy Tynan, Director of the Green Line LRT – Southeast Project. “The vehicles are under manufacturing. Things are moving along very well.”

City officials are aiming to have service running from Shepard to the Event Centre/Grand Central stations by 2031.

Downtown segment still uncertain

While the southeast portion is on track, the downtown segment of the Green Line remains unresolved. The province has expressed a preference for an above-ground alignment, and city staff are conducting functional planning to assess the option.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas emphasized the importance of community consultation.

“Right now, the city is going through doing that due diligence. Consulting broadly with the community, exploring what an elevated option will look like,” he said.

Formal public engagement is expected to begin in the new year. Early conversations indicate “cautious optimism” that a “made-in-Calgary solution” is possible.

Sarah Huber, Director of Project Development at the City of Calgary, pointed to the Sunalta Station on the CTrain Red Line as an example of how elevated infrastructure can succeed.

“We have a great example of an elevated system at the Sunalta Train Station, and we are seeing a lot of success in that space, so it’s about reimagining what elevated looks like for people,” she told councillors.

Concerns from the Beltline

Not all stakeholders are convinced. The Beltline Business Improvement Area has raised concerns about the province’s preferred alignment.

Katie Thies, the group’s Executive Director, said that while discussions with the Green Line team have eased some worries, challenges remain.

“Looking at Sunalta as the model in the area, it’s definitely raised some issues and concerns for them as far as the vulnerable population, some social disorder that comes with it,” she explained.

In a statement to CityNews, the province defended its revised alignment but noted it has had “productive conversations” with Farkas and intends to continue collaborating with him.

Farkas echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the importance of completing the project in full.

“We gotta keep our eyes on the prize. It’s about completing this project once and for all from the far north to the far south,” he said. “There’s some really positive indication from our provincial counterparts as well as federally that we will be able to access investment to make that happen.”