Calgary City Council has approved a revised plan for Phase 1 of its Green Line LRT project to address rising costs.
This new plan reduces the length of the line from around 18 kilometres to 12 kilometres.
Rather than serving 13 stations, it will now serve 7 stops between Lynnwood/Millican in the southeast and Eau Claire downtown, where it will connect with the existing Red and Blue LRT lines.
The revised plan for Phase 1 excludes the extension south to Shepard and defers the construction of the Centre Street S. station.
By reducing the length of the new line, the city aims to ensure construction can begin responsibly. The delivery plan therefore focuses on value engineering and design optimisation.
Construction of the remainder of the project may proceed when additional funding is available.
In the meantime, a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and bus service in the southeast will provide connections to the LRT.
“The Board is confident that revising the construction phasing for Phase 1, building from Lynnwood/Millican to Eau Claire, is the best approach to control costs, mitigate risks and build the critical core of Green Line. We appreciate that some Calgarians will be disappointed that they will have to wait longer for the new LRT service to reach their community but starting construction will lay a foundation for Calgary’s sustained growth and ensure the long-term benefits of housing, connectivity and ridership can be maximised.”
To deliver this plan, the City of Calgary is also having to increase its investment in the project, which now has a valued cost of 6.248 billion CAD, up from the approved budget of 5.543 billion CAD in 2020.
The new LRVs for Calgray’s Green Line are being manufactured by CAF.
