Jeromy Farkas considers new path for Green Line after province rejects downtown tunnel

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas says he has plans to bypass the Alberta government and build an underground tunnel to carry the Green Line LRT.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas says the city could consider breaking the Green Line project into phases and partnering directly with the federal government on a future downtown tunnel, a move that could sideline the province’s preferred elevated alignment through the city core.

The comments came Wednesday as the latest chapter in a years-long dispute between the City of Calgary and the Alberta government over how the Green Line should connect to downtown.

The city has long favoured a tunnel through the core, while the province has pushed for an elevated alignment running along 10th Avenue and north on 2nd Street S.W. to Eau Claire.

Speaking to reporters at city hall, Farkas suggested the provincially funded portion of the project could stop short of downtown, allowing construction to proceed in the south while giving the city more time to determine how best to cross the core.

“Another option, potentially, is to build within the current envelope as far south as we can, and perhaps have the city and the feds only partner on the phase two, which could potentially be a downtown underground option,” Farkas said.

He said all options remain on the table, including a temporary bus connection between northern and southern sections of the line.

“It seems like all the indications are pointing us to be looking at a bus bridge to bridge the gap between the north and the south, but for us to get construction (going) as quickly as possible in the far north and the far south, we have to have some flexibility in terms of what the downtown looks like.”

Farkas said he believes Calgary only gets “one shot” at building the Green Line correctly and argued the downtown alignment must consider future economic development, safety concerns and other rail projects that could eventually connect downtown Calgary with the airport and Banff.

“I don’t want to build the Green Line in a way that could potentially prevent that project from being built,” he said, referring to future passenger rail plans.

Farkas also distributed a briefing note from Friends of CABR and the Bow Valley Passenger Rail Coalition that argued Green Line planning decisions could affect future passenger rail service linking downtown Calgary, the airport and Banff.

The document urged the city to preserve space within the CPKC rail corridor for future passenger rail infrastructure and warned that decisions made now on the Green Line’s downtown alignment could determine whether Calgary becomes a hub for future passenger rail investment or is bypassed by it.

Farkas’ comments came after a new report weighing the opinions of the work so far and how it is progressing.

Data presented to Calgary city council shows 83 per cent of businesses and property owners living along the Green Line were against the idea of an elevated track.

However, 65 per cent of Calgarians overall support the elevated track in the name of progress.

Businesses along the proposed elevated route continue to raise concerns about its impact.

John Batas, owner of Michael’s Pizza on 10th Avenue S.W., said he would support an option that keeps trains underground downtown.

“I think that’d be a great idea,” Batas said. “Other major cities seem to do it.”

The province, however, remains opposed to a tunnel.

“We’re open to discussing refinements to the alignment, but a downtown tunnel is not on the table,” Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen’s office said in a statement to CTV News.

“The elevated alignment will reach more neighbourhoods, deliver five more stations, and boost commuter ridership by 60 per cent. Our focus is delivering an above-ground alignment that respects commuters and taxpayer dollars.”

Some councillors also expressed concern about further delays.

Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule said debate over the southern leg of the project risks slowing efforts to extend service north of the Bow River.

“I was okay with the elevated line,” Yule said. “We have to get it through the core in order to get it to the north.”

Farkas said discussions with the province are continuing and suggested the government has shown flexibility in recent weeks, but maintained Calgary must ensure the project supports the city’s long-term transportation and economic goals.

More than $1.6 billion has been spent on the Green Line so far.

The project team is expected to deliver a report to city council later this month about the impact an elevated line will have on property values.