Calgary's biggest public project: Green Line construction to begin in 2024

Calgary Green Line rendering (City of Calgary/X)

Major construction on the Green Line is slated to begin next year.

The transit project, which is the largest infrastructure investment in Calgary’s history with a price tag of $5.5 billion, is shaping up according to plan, with the land acquisition of the south segments needed before the building process begins nearing completion.

It’s good news for everyone involved in the project and those committed to growing the city.

“It’s been proven that when cities grow and are at the cusp of taking those big leaps like Calgary is, you need to make sure that you’re investing in all sorts of good infrastructure for people,” Green Line CEO Darshpreet Bhatti told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“If you’re growing as a city, you need good infrastructure to allow people to be able to live where they like and move as freely as they can within the city.”

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Major construction of phase one of the project, from Shepard to Eau Claire, is on track to begin in 2024.

The schedule will be determined through the development phase, but according to the committee, it should take around five to six years to complete based on other projects of that size.

The first phase will connect southeast Calgary to the downtown core and into the existing LRT and MAX BRT routes, building 13 stations, 18 km of LRT track, three park-and-ride facilities at Shepard, Douglas Glen and Lynnwood/Millican stations, and one km of elevated track between 26 Avenue SE station and Ramsay/Inglewood station.

A map of Phase 1 of Calgary’s Green Line. (City of Calgary)

Two km of tunnel will also be built under the Beltline and Downtown, as well as four LRT bridge structures that will span across the Elbow River, Bow River, Deerfoot Trail and Blackfoot Trail, and one LRV maintenance and storage facility.

The federal government committed $228 million towards building 6,800 homes in Calgary, all of which will be built close to public transit, last month.

The City of Calgary’s housing strategy also got a boost earlier this month when funding for new developments was approved during budget negotiations.

That plan includes an office space conversion program and calls for an increase in density through promoting missing middle land use rezoning.

The City will also work to allow for more rowhouses and townhouses and enable growth by allowing infill housing in established neighbourhoods, and incentivize secondary suites.

R.M. Nunes/Shutterstock

In a recently released report by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), policy recommendations outline that an effective transit system is needed for success in shaping housing development, improving affordability, and reducing homelessness.

“Housing and transit are often planned separately, resulting in new housing developments with little to no transit services or new transit projects without the residential density to increase ridership,” said CUTA President Marco D’Angelo in a statement.

“This disjointed approach leads to longer commutes, increased transit operating costs, and reduced progress on other policy goals. Housing and transportation are intertwined, and their solutions must be intertwined as well.”

Calgary’s CTrain is pictured with the Bow Tower in the background. (Shutterstock)

According to CUTA, transportation and housing are the two largest expenditures among Canadian households.

The housing shortage and affordability crisis affect all Canadians, particularly lower-income individuals who rely more heavily on public transit.

“I do agree with that concept that if you’re going to grow the city and you’re going to support more ideas of affordability or densities, or providing mobility for your workforce, what better way to do it than to inject transit appropriately,” Bhatti said.

“I’m not saying you can do it everywhere and it’s justified at that cost for every corridor, but you do need it.”

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