This weekend marks the first one that will see shorter LRT trains in Calgary.
“As part of ongoing efforts to continually improve and optimize public transit service for Calgarians, Calgary Transit will be launching a two-car train pilot on weekends, beginning March 22,” said the city in a release.
The number of C-Train riders has increased over the last three years, says the city in the release.
“Since 2022 annual ridership numbers have been growing and returning to 2019 pre-pandemic levels,” it says. “In 2024, more than 101 million customers were served by Calgary Transit.”
“Outside of special events, weekend ridership has also been increasing, with 84 passengers on average riding the train per trip (up to 300 during busy periods), but under the 400-person capacity of two train cars.”
It’s a matter of dollars and common sense. The city says by matching the number of train cars on weekends, costs will be reduced to energy consumption, maintenance requirements and operations, without affecting service levels on weekends.
“We know how important transit service is for our customers and how critical it is to use our funds responsibly,” says Aaron Coon, manager at Calgary Transit. “This pilot allows us to match service with demand while maintaining reliability and availability for those who depend on public transit.”
“The two-car train service will operate on both Saturdays and Sundays in addition to public holidays and will be closely monitored to inform future plans.”
Coon says additional “floater” trains will be put to use during times of high weekend demand, such as concerts and Calgary Flames games, while larger city-wide events such as the Calgary Stampede and the Rotary International Convention this summer will temporarily increase train lengths to three or four cars.
“If the pilot proves successful, Calgary Transit may consider expanding two-car operations to non-peak hours on weekdays with a full evaluation scheduled for the fall,” says Coon. “Customers are encouraged to share feedback during the pilot program through Calgary Transit’s customer service channels.”