‘Unreliable’: Calgary Transit users frustrated by communication during service disruption
Posted Sep 25, 2026 1:52 pm.
A major service disruption on Calgary Transit’s CTrain network left commuters stranded and frustrated Thursday morning, with many riders criticizing the agency’s communication during the incident.
A pedestrian incident along the 7 Avenue transit corridor forced the temporary closure of downtown train tracks during the morning rush hour.
As delays mounted, many riders said they struggled to find accurate information about service changes and shuttle buses through station announcements, digital displays or transit updates.
“It’s unreliable,” said daily commuter Tyler Visser. “It makes me want to get my own personal vehicle instead of taking public transit.”
Visser said the disruption caused him to arrive about 40 minutes late to class. He only learned about the downtown closure after his train operator informed passengers while the train was already en route.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t get an alert, but if I go to service updates in the app, it’ll show me the delays on the trains and the buses,” he said.
Calgary Transit says riders looking for proactive notifications can use a third-party app called Transit, which allows users to pin specific routes and receive push alerts when disruptions occur.
The agency also addressed questions about the lack of station announcements during the early stages of the disruption.
“It didn’t happen this morning because the incident happened at 6:12, and because of noise bylaws we can’t make those announcements before 7 a.m.,” said Terri Bonderoff, Calgary Transit’s leader of operations.
Even hours after the disruption began, some riders said information remained difficult to access. At around 10 a.m., electronic displays at Bridgeland Station were still not showing train arrival times, despite schedule information being available through the Transit app.
“They have a hard time with the times. It’s mostly out of service,” said one rider.
The commuter added that he no longer relies on the posted arrival displays.
“I come here randomly. I’ll wait less over time than if I check the times, because they’re always off,” he said.
Others said they have largely given up looking for updates when service interruptions occur.
“Nowhere,” said daily rider Andrew Campbell when asked where he checks for information during delays. “If I’m downtown and it’s delayed, depending on how far I have to go, I’ll just get off and walk.”
