Calgary stands at a pivotal moment in its transportation planning. The contemplated routes for the province’s Calgary Airport Downtown Express (CADE) passenger rail system and the City of Calgary’s Green Line LRT have become intertwined into what many see as a Gordian knot.Many observers believe the key issues dividing the preferred approaches of each level of government are irreconcilable.
The provincial government insists the Green Line should not be tunnelled through downtown so money can be saved to build the line south to Seton, but the city says tunnelling is the only option. The province wants the Green Line to connect to a new Grand Central Station in the Rivers District, serving CADE and future regional rail systems to Airdrie, Okotoks and Banff. The city has said it doubts these rail lines will ever be built.
Both levels of government agree travellers need to easily connect to the Red and Blue lines along 7th Avenue, but it is already at capacity through downtown. And the plan for CADE is to construct its tracks within the CPKC rail corridor, which is only feasible if the freight capacity of CPKC rail is not affected and the downtown pinch point in the corridor is resolved.
But hiding in plain sight is an opportunity to integrate two Calgary infrastructure assets — the Plus-15 network and the CPKC corridor — to create an effective, low-cost mass transit rail solution. As the proponents of the Calgary Airport Banff Rail (CABR) project, my firm, Liricon, and our partner, Plenary Americas, are proposing the CADE Plus-15 solution.
If CPKC gets on board, the province can build CADE from the airport to downtown within the CPKC rail corridor and then elevate the track for 5.5 km between the Bow River and 11th Street S.W.CADE’s 2.4-km downtown section could include three new stations along 9th Avenue: Downtown East (at 4th Street S.E. — Grand Central Station), Midtown (at 3rd Street S.W.) and Downtown West (at 11th Street S.W). All three stations will be connected through the Plus-15 network north to 7th Avenue.
The CADE Plus-15 solution addresses all previously identified issues. The Green Line is integrated at ground level at the Downtown East Station, just south of the CPKC rail corridor. Green Line passengers then walk to the Blue Line and Red Line via a new Plus-15 along 9th Avenue, and then north on 3rd Street S.E. behind City Hall to 7th Avenue. This roughly 500-metre walk is similar to the distance riders in Toronto walk between the Union Pearson Express from Union Station to the Union Station subway line.
The CADE Plus-15 solution also provides additional downtown east-west mass transit rail capacity for the 2.4 km between the Downtown East and West stations, relieving pressure on the Blue and Red Lines on 7th Avenue. The Midtown Station and Downtown West Station would require passengers to walk four minutes to the 7th Avenue LRT stations via the Plus-15 network. This couldn’t be easier.
This solution does not require any tunnelling downtown and building the elevated track can be done using low-risk and affordable precast construction. The completed Calgary West LRT Extension in 2013 can be used for comparison. A 1.5-km elevated section was built along the CPKC rail corridor at the cost of approximately $150 million to $200 million per kilometre, less than one-third of the cost per kilometre of the now-cancelled Green Line stub. The only obstructions above the CPKC Rail corridor requiring removal are a 50-year-old parking garage and a single deck of a separate parking structure. Expropriation of condos, office towers or retail is not required.
By increasing CADE’s effectiveness with three downtown stations, the CADE Plus-15 solution supports all potential regional rail projects, including our CABR train. Our recently revised proposal to the province accommodates its interest in creating a broader master rail strategy. Our proposal states that if the province develops CADE and provides us with track access for three trains per hour from the airport to downtown, we will build and operate our train from the Downtown West Station to Banff, free of any provincial tax dollars.No performance payment, no subsidy, no capital cost infusion.“Free to the province” is as low as we can go.
We have spent nine years considering numerous rail options within Calgary and surrounding areas, and we have a clear understanding of government objectives, ridership issues, taxpayer concerns and CPKC requirements. We believe all tracks lead to the CADE Plus-15 solution.
Jan Waterous is the managing partner of Liricon Capital. Liricon and Plenary Americas are the proponents of the Calgary Airport Banff Rail project.