The shortened alignment takes out previously planned stops in Ogden, South Hill, Quarry Park, Douglas Glen and Shepard
The revised first phase will see a train line with just seven stops extending from Eau Claire to Lynnwood/Millican in the southeast. And due to inflationary pressures, the project is now expected to cost nearly $6.3 billion — $705 million more than previously budgeted.
The shortened alignment takes out previously planned stops in Ogden, South Hill, Quarry Park, Douglas Glen and Shepard. Construction of those stations will be contingent on the city securing more funding from higher orders of government in the future.
The shortening may irk residents of neighbourhoods such as Riverbend and Quarry Park, as well as the southeast suburbs of Copperfield and McKenzie Towne, who have been eagerly anticipating improved public transit.
The area councillor, Ward 11’s Kourtney Penner, said the development — which is being led by the city’s own real estate development team — will proceed. She argued that it’s still a viable housing location, considering its proximity to other amenities, including a shopping plaza, a YMCA with a public library branch, and a school.
Tuesday’s decision has generated criticism from residents in the southeast, Penner acknowledged, but she argued council made the best decision it could to get construction underway before the long-anticipated train runs into even more delays or cost increases.
And while the first phase is shorter than hoped, Penner noted that doesn’t mean the line’s other stations won’t eventually be built.
“I’d say people are disappointed and I recognize that disappointment,” she said. “In many ways today, I feel it was a bit of a no-win situation for council because there are challenges with the cost . . . nine years into a project, preliminary costs and realistic costs are very different things.”
‘Construction is finally moving forward’
Echoing a similar sentiment Wednesday was Jeff Binks, president of LRT on the Green — a group that has been advocating for the Green Line since 2014.
Binks said Tuesday’s decision was a victory for his group, but one that also felt like a loss.
“There’s obviously disappointment that what we hoped to see isn’t going to be what we actually get with construction, but the key point to remember is construction is finally moving forward after 10 years of design, debate and delays,” he said.
“And that’s an exciting thing for Calgarians. We’re finally turning this project into a real thing. We’re going to see shovels in the ground and tracks being laid. That’s a win, even if it’s not the win we were all hoping for.”
Council spent most of Tuesday discussing the Green Line behind closed doors, before separate presentations from the Green Line board and the city’s chief financial officer Carla Male in the evening revealed the project’s new fiscal reality.
Don Fairborn, the Green Line board’s chair, told council that with the shorter line, ridership projections for Phase 1 of the Green Line are now assessed at 32,000 users, compared to the 55,000 expected under the previous alignment.
“We appreciate that some Calgarians will be disappointed that they will have to wait longer for the new LRT service to reach their community, but starting construction will lay a foundation for Calgary’s sustained growth and ensure the long-term benefits of housing, connectivity and ridership can be maximized,” Fairborn said in a statement.
Beltline warrants Green Line station, says neighbourhood association
The train’s smaller scope is also irking some inner-city dwellers.
Notably, the abbreviated version of the first phase doesn’t include an underground station at 11th Avenue S.E. and Centre Street. Council voted Tuesday night to defer the construction of that station — a decision that will shave more than $300 million off the total budget.
Despite the cost savings, Peter Oliver, director of the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association, called the decision “disappointing.” He argued the high population density in the Beltline and the pedestrian-focused nature of the community warrants a Green Line stop.
There’s “strong support” among residents who live near Centre Street S. who would use the train, according to Oliver, but also from business owners who feel it would attract shoppers from other parts of the city to the Beltline.
Without it, he pointed out the Green Line will open with just two stops throughout the entire downtown (Eau Claire and 7th Avenue S.W.), in comparison to the many Red and Blue stations that line 7th Avenue.
“If you actually want to make transit useful for people who are in communities that are largely pedestrian, where they walk everywhere, the stations need to be in proximity to each other,” Oliver said.
The Centre Street station was “essential to this Green Line being an effective piece of public transit infrastructure,” he added.
Centre Street station among future plans: area councillor
The Beltline’s area councillor, Ward 8 representative Courtney Walcott, said there are still plans to build the station once more funding becomes available.
Ridership projections for the Centre Street S. station were only around 2,000 customers on opening day, Walcott said, due to the fact the Red Line and other public transit options are within walking distance.
But with an assortment of residential developments planned for the Beltline in the coming years, Walcott acknowledged a Green Line stop will be vital in the future.
“This particular Green Line station, it would have serviced a few thousand residents right now,” he said. “More importantly it was going to service residents of future developments later, whereas the other train stations are serving residents and existing riders who live around those stations.”
Nevertheless, Walcott acknowledged the deferral is a “bitter pill to swallow.”
“Centre Street is an opportunity I need to stay focused on because there will be a lot of development happening in the area and a lot of people who require that station,” he said.
“I’ve got things in the works but, as of right now, there’s no plans, no money just yet. The biggest focus was getting shovels in the ground to build the core phase. But that won’t change my dedication because the faster we figure this out, the cheaper and more affordable it will be to finish.”