Six-legged LRT with 45 new stations slated for Calgary
70-km addition in next 30 years to offer airport, southeast links
By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald January 16, 2011 7:34 AM
In its first three decades, the C-Train has spread out its light-rail tendrils 46 kilometres.
With three more decades' worth of expansions essentially mapped out, it stands to stretch out more than 70 additional kilometres, becoming a six-legged monster with more than 45 new stations.
And yes, that includes an airport LRT stop.
Most plans are still many years, engineering studies and billions of dollars away.
"As much as we love the C-Train -- and we do -- there are two drawbacks with C-Train: it's very expensive and it's very inflexible, so we have to be really darn sure when we lay those tracks that's exactly the right thing to do," Mayor Naheed Nenshi says.
"And we have to weigh that against other public transit priorities."
[...]
But with the fullest year of West LRT construction ahead, as well as an imminent council decision on how fast the southeast line gets built and a major consultation on where another train route should go, the C-Train's 30th-anniversary year will be a pivotal one in its history. Here's a look at the C-Train now and into the future:
[...]
Until recently, the city deemed the subway line a necessity this decade, a priority before even the southeast LRT.
McKendrick now says the shift to four-car trains will greatly forestall the plan, although a north-central alignment along Nose Creek would also use the 7th Avenue corridor and hasten the subway dig's timeline.
[...]
LRT Advances
Mid-2011 -¦ Digital displays will be erected at C-Train stations alerting riders when the next three trains will arrive;
-¦ Fare machines at stations that allow credit-card use.
2012 - -Smart-card fare payment begins;
-¦ West LRT opens to 69th Street.
2014 -¦ Four-car trains on Tuscany-Somerset line.
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