Calgary's Green Line has officially been approved by City Council
The Green Line is going through.
Calgary City Council voted on a revised alignment for Stage 1 of the $5.5 billion project on Tuesday, coming to a near-unanimous decision of 14 to 1.
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The one hold out was Councillor Jeromy Farkas, who had called for a city-wide plebiscite on the project.
City Administration spent the previous year hosting engagement sessions with the public, the results of which were brought to council with the updated recommendations.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said that Tuesday was a momentous day for the city.
Today, City Council voted, once and for all, to approve the Green Line.
This isn’t a big day for Calgary. It’s the biggest day.
This project is going to change the way Calgarians get around, shape reinvestment in our communities, and help stimulate our local economy.
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) June 17, 2020
Along with giving official approval, City Council also approved an new construction staging strategy, according to a release from the City of Calgary.
Stage 1 of the Green Line will be constructed in three segments, starting with a route from Elbow River to Shepard, then the segment from 2nd Avenue SW station to Elbow River, and finally from 16th Avenue N to north of 2nd Avenue SW station.
“Stage 1 builds the core of the Green Line long-term vision and will enable future incremental expansion as funding is available to realize the full benefits of the rapid transit network,” said Michael Thompson, General Manager of Green Line, in the release.
“High quality transit, like LRT, is a necessity for cities to grow, be attractive to entrepreneurs and a talented workforce, and to be competitive economic centres locally and internationally. Green Line is planned for long-term city shaping and spurring redevelopment and investment opportunities in Calgary and will be an important part of the city’s recovery generating 20,000 jobs.”
Green Line (City of Calgary)
The release also noted that the first segment, from Elbow River to Shepard, is “shovel ready,” and a Request for Proposal is expected to be issued by July 24 at the latest.
Construction is expected to begin in 2021 after a bidding process is completed.
“Along with the new MAX bus rapid transit lines and the Red and Blue LRT lines, the Green Line will improve mobility choices connecting people to destinations across the city with transit service that is fast, frequent and reliable,” the release states.
Green Line (City of Calgary)
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