Calgary’s Mayor, Jyoti Gondek, recently expressed optimism that the city council could make a decision regarding the future of the Green Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project before the month is out. This followed a productive joint meeting between the City of Calgary and the Government of Alberta, discussing the Green Line.
Mayor Gondek assured the media that as soon as there are details to share, they will be made public. However, for now, the working group remains engaged and focused on finding the best way to provide north-south transit for the city.
The Mayor believes that it’s “absolutely possible” for the city council to make a decision on the province’s revised alignment by the end of the month, although it would depend on the recommendations brought forward by the city’s administration.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen had expressed a desire for a decision to be reached by the end of January when the province’s preferred alignment for the Green Line was announced towards the end of the previous year.
The revised alignment suggests an elevated track above 10 Avenue S.E., which would travel west, then turn north up 2 Street S.W. and stop above the Red and Blue LRT lines on 7 Avenue, instead of tunnelling under the downtown core. The province claims that this move would save $1 billion from the budget, enabling the LRT line to extend further south to Shepard.
However, the city argues that the province’s calculations do not factor in $1.3 billion in known costs and risks. Despite this, Mayor Gondek says the recent working group meeting provided some clarity and that both administrations are working well together to find a solution.
Experts warn that a decision needs to be reached soon due to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the federal government’s funding mechanism for the project, coming to an end of March 31. If a decision is not reached by then, the conversation would have to shift to the Canada Public Transit Fund, which does not start until 2026.
Mayor Gondek confirmed that a new business case reflecting the new alignment would need to be submitted to the federal government and assured that the administrations are already working on it. Despite the tight timeline, the mayor does not believe that the prorogation of Parliament will have a significant impact on the process.
The project’s budget was expanded to $6.2 billion after the province pulled its funding due to cost overruns, causing the council to vote to wind down the project last September. After negotiating with the province, several contracts were preserved, and design work on the at-grade section of the Green Line between Victoria Park and Shepard will continue.