Calgary’s troubled Green Line LRT would appear to be back on track after the federal government reaffirmed its share of funding to the tune of $1.53 billion, giving the project the green light to begin construction.
The feds commitment was announced this week through a statement issued by Alberta’s Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen.
“This approval ensures the matching federal funding commitment for this critical project and that construction can finally begin after a decade of delay since 2015,” said Dreeshen in the statement, adding the province says the revised business case from the federal government meets the provincial requirements of connecting to the Red and Blue C-Train lines downtown, the new event centre and Shepard Station in the south.
“The City of Calgary is responsible for delivering the project. Tenders for construction will go out in spring 2025 with the focus to utilize local construction companies,” said Dreeshen.
The province made changes to the Green Line earlier this year, which would see it run from 160 Ave. S.E, north to the new events centre, just north of Stampede Park, and eventually into the downtown core on an elevated track above 10 Ave. and 2 St. S.W.
Dreeshen said planning from the city for the downtown segment is expected to begin shortly with the design to be completed by 2026, leading to construction starting in 2027, with construction on the southeast leg to begin this year.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has been very vocal about not being in favour of the elevated portion of the line, a sentiment also expressed by businesses in Calgary’s downtown and the Beltline community.
At a Wednesday press conference, Gondek said she was not expecting the feds’ announcement through Dreeshen’s office, questioning whether the planning stage for the elevated track would be done by 2026.
The province commissioned engineering firm AECOM for the revised Green Line plan through downtown, which Gondek said was only at “five per cent design completion.”
“Within the report, the authors themselves clearly acknowledge that this report lacks necessary analysis and stakeholder engagement to responsibly move forward,” she said, adding there needs to be conversations with stakeholders about what the downtown alignment should look like, saying the process could take up to two years.
“Depending on what comes back, this may or may not be the right kind of alignment,” Gondek said. “We will do that study first and then determine how we are going to move forward.”
Gondek and the majority of city council also have concerns about potential financial risks to the city, which have been shared with the province.
At the press conference, Gondek thanked the federal government for committing to its share of funding before the March 31 deadline, calling it good news coming before the federal election.
The bad news, she said, “was the province, without consulting their federal and municipal partners, issued a news release that suggested we are moving full steam ahead with the downtown alignment, even though significant risks and unanswered questions remain.”
Gondek said the major concerns include, among others, property and structural impacts of the elevated track; no agreement yet with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s rail right-of-way, over which the elevated Green Line would pass, and; no impact assessment of environmental and noise implications.
She said prior to going forward all of the city’s concerns need to be addressed by the province.
I will continue to push for a transparent and responsible approach to the Green Line,” she said. “This is too important to get wrong. The decisions we make today will define Calgary’s future and we owe it to every Calgarian to ensure we do it right.”
