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Calgary’s developing Green Line could see a surface route run along 10 Avenue S.W, after the committee endorsed the route which was estimated to fit within the projects budget. This marks a milestone, as the city now has an idea of where the Green Line would start and end, after decades of work and debate.
Under the actual proposal, trains would travel along 10th Avenue via a surface station near Scotia Place on Olympic Way, and tracks would connect to a downtown station between 1st and 2nd Street S.W.
Traffic, parking and property access impacts are still being assessed by the city, and portions of the roadway will have to be reconfigured for the train line. The City of Calgary had been considering an elevated option along 1st Street, but it was the surface alignment option that fell within the $6.248-billion dollar budget. The elevated option would have cost an additional $500 million.
Although this option is within budget, the surface route does come with a reduced ridership. Modelling estimates show the current approved option could carry more than 40,000 riders a day, while the elevated option was projected to carry over 50,000.
In addition, the proposed downtown stations would NOT link to the existing Red and Blue Line trains. The surface route does however include a pedestrian connection via the Plus 15 network, and would allow riders to walk along 7th Avenue to the Red and Blue Line stops.
With committee endorsement, there are still approvals required. The recommendation from the committee will now need to be ratified by council, and formal confirmation from the province and federal governments will be required. As it stands, the plan is to be carrying passengers on the Green Line by 2031.
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