At the end of June, the Municipal Council in Calgary, Canada, gave the go-ahead for the construction of the Green Line Light Rail train. The Canadian city previously had two other light rail lines, Red Line and Blue Line and 60 kilometers of network between the two.
The new light rail line will have a length of 46 kilometers and 28 stations. It is an important project for Calgary and it will be built over several stages as the funds for this major project are made available. According to plans, the first 20 kilometers of the line will be built in the first stage; works are going to start in 2020 at the latest and are scheduled to complete in 2026. Also in the first stage 14 stations, eight bridges and a four-kilometer long tunnel will be built across the city center. 70 low-floor trams will be purchased. The entire estimated cost for the first stage amounts to USD 4.65 billion, so the project will be a major one for the rail industry. The line will cross the city of Calgary from north to south and is one of the highest public transport priorities for the Canadian city. Green Line is designed to be both a transit system and a platform for the development and modeling of the city. It will provide efficient services and connections with areas throughout the city, thus facilitating sustainable mobility. Authorities estimate that the new light rail line will provide daily transport for 240,000 passengers over the entire 46-kilometer segment. In the future, Green Line will be integrated with the railway line and will go as far as Calgary International Airport. The project is indeed a long-term vision for the city of the province of Alberta, first, as mentioned above, due to the major investment of more than USD 4 billion, and this is only in the first phase, then due to the acquisition of 70 low-floor trams. Second, the project is extremely important to support sustainable and eco-friendly mobility, and this comes because of the authorities’ decision to abandon the previous strategy which provided for the construction of a bus transport system from north to south and to favor this light rail line. The Calgary Local Council will allocate USD 52 million annually for the next 30 years to finance the project. In its turn, the federal government of the province of Alberta has undertaken to finance this project with USD 1.15 billion.
by Elena Ilie
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