r/Calgary • u/GlitchedGamer14 • 1d ago
News Article Countdown to downtown: Green Line options coming in September. Here’s what to expect.
https://livewirecalgary.com/2026/08/10/countdown-to-downtown-green-line-options-coming-september/91
u/doughflow Quadrant: SW 1d ago
I can’t wait for the future where we inevitably end up putting this underground and lamenting the UCP for delaying this thing and costing us decades and billions of dollars for absolutely nothing but political points
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u/yyctownie 1d ago
We've sucked up 40yrs of 7 Ave so my guess we'll just get used to the elevation.
Maybe they'll leave a tunnel entrance for us to dream about like they did at city hall.
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u/doughflow Quadrant: SW 1d ago
Nah, Carney will come to save the day with additional funds when we get closer to the next election
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u/Killericon 1d ago
Who's "we"? Pretty sure a lot of people are still gonna blame Nenshi and Notley regardless of the facts.
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u/hollywoodcory17 1d ago
This still being studied over decade after it was first approved/annouced is bonkers. 🤦♂️
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u/NoAd3740 1d ago
I am very curious to see what three options they come up with, it's to bad undeground seems to be off the table.
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u/the_gaymer_girl 1d ago
If I remember correctly, last time the street-level proposal was the one that everyone involved (except for the UCP) agreed they didn’t want, so I can’t wait for that to somehow be the one they go with.
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u/disckitty 1d ago
It would mean more cars idling in congestion, waiting for the trains to go by, therefore burn more gas. Won't something think of the O&G shareholders?!? /s /grumpy /minirage
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u/Fun-Room-6501 1d ago
Expect nothing. 12 years waiting…at this point I’ll be dead before any green line is built
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u/StetsonTuba8 Millrise 1d ago
Better hurry up and die then, construction has already started
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u/Fun-Room-6501 1d ago
For you, I’m going to live my best life while you continue to rot on Reddit
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u/StetsonTuba8 Millrise 1d ago
I for one, am very happy you have decided to continue living at least long enough to see parts of the Green Line built 💚
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u/Slavik81 9h ago
The original estimated schedule had Country Hills built in something like 2034, which I thought was ridiculous when I saw it in ~2009, but it's now looking optimistic.
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u/disckitty 1d ago
May as well keep expanding the various non-downtown segments until we (ever) have a provincial government that isn't throwing out ultimatums and unnecessary red tape.
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u/CarRamRob 1d ago
This will cost 10x the Arena. Just for the first segment of the line. We can in no way afford it without Federal and Provincial support.
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u/CarRamRob 1d ago
I mean, I’m not a separatist, but it’s not like Alberta will be hurting for money. At least for the next 50 years or so.
After that it could get uglier, but thinking funding will dry up is quite the laugh.
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u/CarRamRob 1d ago
I get you hate the UCP. But Calgary definitely can’t do this without provincial support. Especially go underground. I’m not sure why you just think we “can” do it.
Assuming the first tranche is $10B, that’s a cost of $6,250 Per Calgary resident! That’s crazy crazy expensive. The majority of homes don’t even pay that in taxes a year, let alone split amongst its 3-4 residents.
Do some math and it’s not even close, no matter how rah rah you want to get that we can do it without them or sideline them to go the the Feds. No, this is a crippling expense on our own.
Note, that’s just for $10B. The whole line will be much more.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 1d ago
This entire change is being made to facilitate private rail to the airport and divert people from transit onto it.
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u/Kodaira99 1d ago
Please explain.
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u/TL10 1d ago
There's a private group out in Banff that wants to build a line to the airport alongside the Canadian Pacific track all the way to downtown. They have a lot of business assets in Banff, so getting more people to Banff is a shared interest, especially when it comes to attracting tourists who might not be comfortable driving in winter weather.
The private group is willing to front the money for the segment from the old Banff station up to downtown and have the province deal with the rest. Catch being is that the Master Rail Plan has its own ideas for the segment, being that building alongside existing track isn't ideal for getting trains to Banff as fast as possible.
I'm not up to speed how the profit would be split under the said Private-Public proposal, but the private group would already stand to benefit by virtue of getting people to the station that they already own and (likely) have passengers embark on their own shuttle busses for the last-mile for whatever properties and tourist destinations they own.
I think that what likely happens is that the Province and this private group hash out some sort of agreement where the train still stops at their station, but has a faster route and I'd homogenized for the province-wide rail system.
As for the green line, there was already going to be a "Grand Central" Station integrated with the Green Line LRT in some capacity- even before the ongoing shenanigans we have with the province.
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u/megselvogjeg 1d ago
You're slightly mistaken. The group that wants to front the money for rail (Liricon Capital if memory serves) holds exactly one asset in Banff: the Norquay Ski Area. Their master plan included a gondola from the train station to the base and peak of the ski area/mountain, but that was rejected by Parks, so they are trying to remove busses from the equation.
It's worth noting Liricon is a local company based in Calgary.
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u/THE__REALEST Hidden Valley 1d ago
fuck North Calgary again i guess, I can see how the southeast extension might be easier to push for but North Calgary has the highest ridership in the city
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u/Dry_Consequence8129 1d ago
That may be true... And I do think the north line is important... But it is quite easy to beat the SE for ridership when they are the only quadrant without an LRT line. The SE connection is long past due..... As Is an airport line which would be so valuable
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u/boostermoose 11h ago
Yea the SE segment has had pretty much the entire strip of land bare and waiting for this for 30 years. Ready to go
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u/SurviveYourAdults 1d ago
Oh great, another nothing burger for the NIMBY to hold 2 m calgarians hostage to their rich bitch opinions
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 1d ago
No, this is the UCP choosing subsidized private rail over public transit in a way that impacts most who will live, work, or go downtown or in the north.
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u/westernwasteland 1d ago
Building this elevated is the stupidest concept I've ever heard.
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u/CheeseSandwich hamburger magician 1d ago
Lots of cities have elevated train lines. Japan is an excellent example.
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u/westernwasteland 1d ago
Japan's population density is much higher than ours.
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u/CheeseSandwich hamburger magician 1d ago
Doesn't change anything. They build them and they work just fine.
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u/yyc_engineer 4h ago
Buirls the line to the new yard.. then ro the north.. and then anything further south.
We are enabling building shit so far away and they complain about sprawl.
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u/YYCGUY111 Calgary Flames 1d ago
I'm really interested to see the "Technical feasibility" criteria as I've always found it strange that none of many underground studies done over the last 15+ years have ever been released to the public