Great News! Green Line Committee Update
Folks, this week we came a long way; The Green Line committee has made a great stride towards meaningful progression. Not only have we made a step towards restoring credibility and confidence in this project, we have done it in a way that keeps to our budget constraints and keeps our promise to Calgarians of “a city-shaping transit service that improves mobility in communities in north and southeast Calgary, connecting people and places, and enhancing the quality of life in Calgary.”
Committee had an opportunity to have an in-depth workshop with Administration, and by the end of the day Administration presented a solidified, updated Stage 1 route option to the Green line Committee. These changes will help address construction risks, cost and customer experience concerns of the project.
One of the most surprising and positive aspects of the route update is the 21 Kilometer BRT enhancement from 16 Ave to Northpointe. This will spark noticeable changes, as enhancements will directly increase customer service quality and comfort for riders, while addressing challenges of congestion and delays by creating better transit priority. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact your City Councilor, even if it is just to congratulate them.
Updates to the Stage 1 alignment include:
- 21 Kilometers of North BRT enhancements
- A surface alignment on Centre Street N and a surface station at 16 avenue N
- A bridge over the Bow River
- A surface station at 2 Ave S.W. in Eau Claire
- 7 Ave underground station
- An underground alignment on 11 Ave in the Beltline, and an underground station at 4 Street S.E.
You can take a look at the full presentation, including what Administration has studied, what has changed, and what to expect at : Here
These changes will allow us to maximize ridership, directly connect people to the core, the Beltline and the Entertainment District. We will be able to facilitate future expansion to the north and south of The City, while the BRT enhancements will improve transit for residents in the north. The Green Line is Calgary’s largest infrastructure investment to date, and is designed to be both a transit system and a platform for development, one that will shape our city. Providing efficient service and connection to destination throughout the city, and areas where people can live affordably with access to amenities, services and sustainable mobility options.
I want to assure you that we are still committed to the full scope of the Green Line LRT project, and will eventually extend the project from Seton to 160 Ave. Work is continuing to advance the functional planning, land acquisition program, and funding opportunities for stage 2.
So our next step is to engage with the community. We welcome you to provide us with your feedback, and you can do that by visiting https://engage.calgary.ca/greenline . The online engagement period will be from January 29, 2020 to March 9, 2020. You can help us ensure we are building the highest value transit system for Calgarians. You can also watch for in-person engagement opportunities from March 1 – March 9, 2020
I feel proud to say that we have done our utmost to bring credibility and confidence back to this project. Over the next two months, we will see more of the studies and incredible work that has gone into a project as exceptional as this, especially being rebuilt and put back to where we can make a decision in March. I think it will be the right decision. While some will say that it is unfortunate that the line will not, at the moment reach to Seton; I will continue to fight for Ward 12, but not to the detriment of the rest of the city. We need to look at this project in its entirety, and for what it accomplishes for the future of Calgary. As we move forward, we will remain focused on making this the best possible transit system it can be.
