Green Line committee backs surface downtown route after years of redesigns, cost increases and political fights

Calgary’s Green Line is moving toward a surface-level downtown alignment, with Executive Committee voting 12–1 on Sept. 8 to endorse tracks running west from the future Event Centre/Grand Central Station along 10 Avenue S.W. to a new station between 1 and 2 Street S.W. The line would run in the centre of 10 Avenue, leaving a traffic lane on either side and maintaining access to nearby buildings and parkades. A climate-controlled pedestrian connection is planned to link the terminal station into the Plus 15 network and provide access toward Calgary’s existing Red and Blue LRT lines. Full council is scheduled to formally finalize the recommendation on Sept. 22.

The surface route was chosen largely because it was the only one of three shortlisted options that fit within the current budget. The province-backed elevated alignment along 10 Avenue and north on 2 Street S.W. was projected to attract the most riders — about 51,000 daily trips — but officials estimated it would require roughly $1 billion beyond available funding to reach 7 Avenue. A second elevated option using 1 Street S.E. was estimated at roughly $500 million over budget, while the surface alternative is expected to carry fewer passengers, around 41,000 daily, but can be delivered inside the existing funding envelope.

The latest decision is only the newest chapter in a project whose roots stretch back decades. Calgary began contemplating rapid transit to the southeast in the mid-1980s, while planning for the modern Green Line began in 2011. By 2017 and 2018, each of the provincial and federal governments had committed $1.53 billion, alongside the City’s contribution, and in 2021 Alberta and Ottawa approved funding for a Phase 1 plan that included a deep tunnel beneath downtown with four underground stations between 4 Street S.E. and Eau Claire.

That tunnel eventually became the project’s central financial problem. As engineering advanced, the City identified growing cost risks and in July 2024 approved a shortened version of Phase 1 that retained the tunnel but ended the southeast section at Lynnwood/Millican. The reduced scope cut expected daily ridership from roughly 55,000 to 32,000, while preserving some of the most expensive construction through the core. The Alberta government objected to both the reduced benefits and the risks associated with tunnelling downtown.

In September 2024, Alberta withdrew its financial support for that version of the project, prompting council to vote 10–5 to begin winding Green Line down. City officials estimated the wind-down would cost more than $800 million, on top of approximately $1.3 billion already spent. Less than a month later, however, Calgary and the province reached an interim agreement that kept work moving between Shepard and 4 Street S.E. and restored access to Alberta’s $1.53-billion commitment while provincial consultant AECOM developed a new downtown route that would be either elevated or at grade — but not tunnelled.

The province released its preferred Baseline Elevated Concept in December 2024, running from the Event Centre along 10 Avenue and then north on 2 Street S.W. to 7 Avenue. Council agreed in January 2025 to use that concept as the basis for a new functional plan, while construction on the southeast section formally began in June 2025. Phase 1 now carries $6.248 billion in committed funding from the three orders of government, with the current program comprising roughly 17 kilometres of track, 11 stations, three park-and-ride lots, a maintenance facility and 28 low-floor LRT vehicles.

The elevated concept remained controversial. Public engagement in early 2026 produced substantial concern about an elevated structure through the Beltline and downtown, and on June 30 council directed administration to look again for alternatives. Staff returned in September with three options, resulting in the surface route now before full council. Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who said the project had spent too long in uncertainty, supported the affordable surface option at committee, saying there would always be reasons to delay but construction would not become cheaper with time.

The decision does not end the debate. Businesses along 10 Avenue have raised concerns about construction disruption, loading, parking and the permanent effect of placing LRT tracks immediately outside their properties. An amendment accompanying the committee recommendation calls for a broader public-realm, mobility and streetscape plan along the corridor, with targeted engagement planned for property owners and businesses. At the same time, the City is already looking beyond the downtown segment, with committee directing additional planning for a southward extension from Shepard to Seton, the future north corridor, and a full MAX Green BRT connection from Keystone Hills toward downtown.

What has changed most over the Green Line’s 15-year modern planning history is not the basic objective — connecting southeast Calgary to downtown and eventually the north — but how much of the line Calgary can afford to build at once and how it crosses the city centre. The tunnel approved in 2021 is gone, the province’s elevated solution proved too expensive within the present budget, and the City is now preparing to proceed with a shorter surface connection while preserving future expansion options. Construction on the southeast leg is already underway, and the City currently targets 2031 for opening the first phase.