Alberta’s government is proposing an elevated track, rather than an underground sections, to save costs on Calgary’s Green Line.
The plan will extend the line farther south without additional costs, a report has found.
In July, the province contracted Aecom to identify and assess an alternative at-grade and/or elevated route through the downtown core that would achieve a functional, cost-effective Green Line.
Aecom has suggested an entirely elevated route and a new alignment from 7th Avenue to Shepard that more closely aligns with the initial provincially and federally approved business case from June 2021. It says the cost savings of not tunnelling would fund the extended route.
The new plan would increase ridership by connecting to the Red and Blue lines, the new Event Centre and communities much further into south-east Calgary, while saving more than C$1bn by elevating tracks and shortening the route through downtown.
Earlier this year Calgary City Council approved a C$6.2bn route from Eau Claire to Lynnwood/Millican, with tunnelling through downtown. The proposal reduced the length of the originally planned route and would have resulted in a more than 40% reduction in ridership.
Early works for the Green Line started in 2017.
The original proposal included underground stations at Eau Claire and 7th Avenue SW, connected by tunnels built at depths up to 30m. The tunnels were to be constructed by cut and cover, and boring.
“This new Green Line route saves more than C$1bn in tunnelling costs. This alignment adds five more stops, will be 76% longer and will serve 60% more Calgarians – all within the same budget. The ball is now in Calgary City Council’s court to approve this alignment and to finally start construction on the Green Line in the new year,” said minister of transportation and economic corridors Devin Dreeshen.
