Calgary’s Green Line LRT back on track following federal funding approval

Ottawa confirms it will still contribute $1.5 billion to the Green Line LRT project in Calgary, approving the updated route plan.

The Government of Alberta says Ottawa has approved an updated plan for Calgary’s Green Line LRT, getting the stop-and-go project rolling again with the promise of federal funding.

In a statement Tuesday, Devin Dreeshen, minister of transportation and economic corridors, said the Government of Canada has approved the business case for the revised route, which connects to the Red and Blue lines downtown and the new event centre and stretches as far south as Shepard.

The approval secures $1.53 billion in funding from the federal government.

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The city will seek tenders for construction starting in spring 2025, with a focus on using local companies.

Work is also expected to begin immediately on nailing down the final design for the downtown segment of the project.

“This work will be based on the Government of Alberta’s plan and alignment, using 10th Avenue and Second Street S.W.,” Dreeshen said in the statement.

“The design is expected to be completed by 2026, leading to construction on the downtown segment beginning in 2027.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she learned about the approval at the same time as everyone else – when the province sent out a news release on Tuesday afternoon.

“It would have been very nice to get direct correspondence or maybe a call from the province, but that didn’t happen,” Gondek said.

The mayor also disputed some of the timelines the province provided.

“In the province’s release, it indicates that the design would be done by the end of this year. So I’m not sure where they’re getting that information from,” she said.

“They should probably consult with us since we’re tasked to do that work. We cannot rush this thing.”

Gondek added she is relieved that the federal government has signed off on the project before a federal election sometime this year.

But she added that the city is actively pursuing opportunities for more funding from the federal or provincial governments.

“We have been open with both orders of government that the city cannot do this as the primary funder,” Gondek said.

“They both are very well aware that we need a greater partnership financially, and I hope the federal government sees this as an opportunity.”

Calgary’s city council approved the plan in January, endorsing a plan that would see construction in the south start while a full downtown design plan is worked on.

The decision came after the Government of Alberta commissioned a report for a preferred alignment through the Beltline and downtown that would see an elevated track instead of a tunnel.

According to the province, the cost for a line from Shepard to Seventh Avenue S.W. downtown is $6.236 billion.

City officials say they’ve identified an additional $1.3 billion in costs not accounted for by the province’s assumption.

With files from CTV News Calgary’s Jordan Kanygin