Calgary city council is expected to decide Tuesday how the Green Line LRT will travel through the downtown core. The city’s executive committee voted 12-1 earlier this month to recommend a surface-level route along 10 Avenue S.W., ending at a new station between First and Second Street S.W. The alignment would connect the future Event Centre/Grand Central Station to downtown, with trains travelling along the centre of 10 Avenue. Its final downtown station would include a climate-controlled pedestrian connection to the Plus 15 network, providing access to the existing Red and Blue LRT lines and four MAX bus routes. If council approves it, the city would move ahead with detailed design, planning and procurement for the downtown segment. That work would determine the final station design, track configuration, road changes and effects on neighbouring properties. Other routes City officials examined three downtown options, and the surface route was the only one believed to fit within the project’s available funding. The province’s preferred option would have elevated the tracks above 10 Avenue before turning north along Second Street S.W. toward Seventh Avenue. It was projected to attract the most riders, with an estimated 51,000 daily trips, but would cost roughly $1 billion more than the available budget. A second elevated option would have followed 10 Avenue before turning north near First Street S.E. That route was estimated to exceed the project’s funding by about $500 million. The surface option is expected to attract fewer riders, but also preserves options for a future extension farther into downtown and north of the Bow River if additional funding becomes available. Council’s executive committee voted 12-1 earlier this month to recommend the route. Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness cast the only opposing vote. Mayor Jeromy Farkas acknowledged during the debate that it would be the first time he had voted in support of the Green Line. “There will always be a reason we can come up with to delay, but there’s not going to be a time when it’s cheaper to build,” Farkas said. Vibrancy concerns How the surface line affects businesses and activity along 10 Avenue is expected to be a central part of Tuesday’s debate. Some business owners have raised concerns about the loss of road space, construction disruptions, vehicle access, and the potential effects of trains operating directly outside their properties. The city says the surface route would maintain one traffic lane in each direction and preserve access to businesses and parkades. However, many of the detailed traffic and construction plans would not be completed until the next design stage. Compared with the elevated options, the surface route would avoid large concrete columns and an overhead guideway that could cast shadows and create barriers along the street. City analysis suggests improved transit access could support business activity and the long-term revitalization of the area, but acknowledges that strong construction-mitigation measures would be needed. The low-floor Green Line trains could also allow stations to better integrate with the surrounding streetscape than Calgary’s existing high-floor LRT stations. Green Line officials say targeted meetings with affected businesses, property owners and community groups would begin after council selects the route. That engagement would help shape construction staging, property access, station areas, pedestrian connections and plans to reduce disruptions during the work. The city has not announced when major construction on the downtown segment would begin. Southeast leg While the downtown route remains before council, construction is already underway on the southeast portion of the Green Line. The city says it has spent $1.8 billion on the Green Line to date. That figure does not represent track construction alone: it includes construction work, new trains, land purchases and engineering and design. Much of the current activity is concentrated between Shepard Station and the Bow River crossing north of the future Lynnwood/Millican Station. Work includes the Green Line’s maintenance and storage facility near Shepard, where the trains will eventually be stored. The city is also preparing to build a section of track between Shepard and the Bow River to test the new trains before passenger service begins. Other projects include the Ogden Road realignment, a new LRT bridge at 78 Avenue, the Blackfoot Trail LRT bridge near Crossroads Market and road and piling work around 114 Avenue S.E. and Barlow Trail. Additional construction packages cover Highfield, elevated stations and the Ramsay elevated guideway as the line moves closer to the Event Centre and downtown.
