Why did The City have to review stage 1?

In the summer of 2019, the Green Line team advised Council about the need to re-evaluate Stage 1 for the a few key reasons.

Project budget: Cost estimates were exceeding Green Line’s funding of $4.9 billion by approximately 10%.

Construction risk: The proposed tunnel under the river was increasing construction cost and risks, and pushing the depth of the tunnel and stations to approximately 8 storeys deep.

Customer experience: the 8-storey deep tunnel and stations would impact user experience making stations less convenient, comfortable and easy to navigate which would impact the rider experience.

If the LRT is surface on Centre Street, can we build 9 Avenue Station?

Throughout our engagement in 2020 we have heard a lot of requests from the community for a 9 Avenue station to improve mobility in Crescent Heights. After further evaluation The City has added a 9 Avenue station in the updated Stage 1 alignment.

Will there be parking on Centre Street?

With the addition of the LRT on Centre Street, on-street parking along Centre Street will have to be removed. A parking strategy will be developed to determine other means of providing short-term parking.

What will surface running LRT on Centre Street look like?

The Green Line will use low-floor vehicles, which are different from the existing high floor LRT vehicles used in Calgary. The low-floor vehicles will be designed to integrate with the community, have curb height platforms and will have better accessibility for all Calgarians. They require less infrastructure and are smaller scale stations. The trains are embedded in the road, operating next to vehicle lanes and travel within the speed limit of Centre Street

There will be a low curb separating the traffic lanes. Similar to 7 Avenue there we don’t anticipate it will require crossing arms and warning bells where there is good visibility for operators and pedestrians. The interaction between LRT, vehicles and pedestrians is managed by traffic signals.

The LRT will operate in the two middle lanes on Centre Street allowing the best balance between access and circulation into the community, allows all right hand turns and left-turn bays at some locations.

We anticipate the new fleet of trains will be quitter than the existing system on 7 Ave.

Will there be public realm improvements along Centre Street corridor?

The final design for Centre Street has not been determined yet. One of our design objectives in the area is to improve the pedestrian experience along and across Centre Street. The project team is committed to continuing stakeholder and public engagement on the planning and design of the public realm along the alignment.

Green Line will reconstruct the Centre Street streetscape from building face to building face, greatly improving current urban realm and safety with crossing locations at signalized intersections.

How will the bridge impact the Bow River Pathway?

The Bow River Pathway is important to our city and would serve as a connection for people accessing the Green Line. Our planning team is exploring different bridge types and how they would interface with the pathway, and have set a design objective to provide continued functionality and experience along the river pathway.

The Green Line team has worked closely with the Eau Claire Promenade team to understand potential impacts of the LRT bridge crossing over the river pathway and explored potential measures to mitigate impacts. These teams will continue to coordinate to ensure pathway function, experience and aesthetics are in line with stakeholder interests and priorities.

Will there be environmental impacts to the Bow River and Prince’s Island Park as a result of the bridge?

As part of the planning process Environmental Specialists provided input into the bridge alignment, and recommended that the bridge minimize its footprint within the constructed wetland.

Further detailed environmental studies will be completed as the bridge design is finalized to ensure the design and construction plans minimize the impact to the constructed wetland and meet the municipal, provincial and federal regulatory requirements relating to wildlife and other environmental considerations.

What will the bridge look like and how will it be designed?

We’re looking at a number of different design options for the bridge. Upon approval of the recommended alignment, The City will begin a detailed technical investigation including geotechnical, hydrotechnical, archaeological and survey investigations. The technical analysis will be accompanied by a public engagement process to gather more input on bridge architecture. The bridge design will then be advanced with consideration for architectural solutions that best meet the defined objectives. A preferred bridge design will then be advanced and finalized in conjunction with construction procurement and environmental approvals.

Where will the 2 Avenue S.W. station be located in the updated alignment?

The Green Line team has been working with Harvard Development to move the portal (tunnel entrance/exit) and station out of the road right of way and place the LRT infrastructure directly into the future Eau Claire Market re-development site. By integrating the station into the redevelopment of the site, there will no longer be an impact to the existing road network in this area, and therefore no changes to local traffic access or circulation.

How will the tunnel entrance (portal) downtown impact 2 Street SW?

We have combined the portal and 2 Street S.W. station on the Eau Claire Market site, into an integrated station-portal solution. The City will work with the site developer on a design that encapsulates the LRT station and portal within the redevelopment of the Eau Claire market, similar to that done for the new Central Library.

How will a surface running LRT impact property values?

In many cities, Calgary included, high density residential developments experience a positive uplift in property values when new rapid transit stations are built within close proximity to a development.

Given the proposed 2 Avenue S.W. station will be integrated into the Eau Claire Market re-development site, it is not anticipated the station will pose a negative impact on adjacent property values.

How will The City manage safety at underground stations?

Safety and security is of utmost importance to The City. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principals, which considers how structures, spaces, lighting and presence of people can help to address safety and security concerns, will guide the design of LRT stations and the streetscape to mitigate against undesirable activities, including crime and graffti.

Calgary Transit is committed to keeping customers safe when using Transit services and employs a variety of resources and tools to ensure station areas are monitored 24 hours, seven days a week, and access to immediate help is just a text or call away.

Where will the underground station entrances be?

We are continuing to work on locating underground station entrances. They will be either integrated with adjacent developments or placed within the road right of way Discussions with adjacent developers and landowners on station entrances are ongoing.