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Calgary Transit

Calgary, Alberta

Funding Program: Building Canada Fund
Agreement Signed: December 23, 2009
Total Project Cost: $154 Million
Federal Contribution: $51.3 Million
Anticipated Project Completion Date: 2015

The Calgary Transit Projects consists of six main components described in the sections below:

Project Component # 1: West Light Rail Transit (LRT) 11th St Station
A new twinned LRT Station with two side loading Platforms is required between 11th Street and 10th Street SW as the “west gateway” to the 7th Avenue Transit Corridor which will connect to the new West LRT line, which will open in 2012, at the west end of downtown Calgary.  These new east and westbound LRT Platforms will serve the Kerby Centre, Shaw Millennium Park and other adjacent businesses and residential areas.

Project Component #2: Four-Car Light Rail Transit (LRT) Platform Extensions
Due to increases in LRT ridership it is now necessary to lengthen the platforms to accommodate four-car LRT trains and to improve the level of service. 

The work consists of extending the existing platform by 25 metres to accommodate four car trains, relocation of existing traction power facilities both overhead and underground and upgrading of signals and switches.  Additional civil work on drainage, track-bed and passenger access ramps and stairs will also be required. 

For the Northeast station platform work, additional facing switches and accompanying traction power realignment is necessary to facilitate the work while maintaining service.  Crossing protection gates and warning devices will be provided in areas of potential conflict.

There are 22 stations on these LRT lines that require lengthening along the South Line Platforms (Phase I: 2009-2011), Northwest Platforms (Phase II: 2010-2012); and, Northeast Platforms (Phase III: 2011-2014).

Project Component #3: Southeast Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Southeast Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will establish a direct bus service connection between the expanding southeast communities, high growth employment centres and the downtown.  The service has been designed to parallel the future Southeast Light Rail Transit Line, one of six light rail lines planned for Calgary.  The Southeast Bus Rapid Transit Line will improve service for existing southeast Calgary customers. 

Fourteen (14) articulated buses will be procured for service on this route as articulated buses are used primarily on Calgary’s bus rapid transit routes since they have capacity for up to 110 customers.  Two park and ride lots and bus terminal facilities, at Douglas Glen (531 spaces) and McKenzie Towne (534 spaces), will be constructed.

This component includes the provision of real time customer information displays at all Southeast Bus Rapid Transit bus zones, onboard next stop bus displays, and additional traffic signals to provide priority for buses.  Digital Passenger information signs will be installed at all bus zones and on articulated buses in 2011.

Construction of the Southeast Bus Rapid Transit Line includes park and ride lots, access roads, bus turn-around loops, traffic signals, utility relocation and bus zone amenities such as benches, shelters, bike lockers, bike racks and passenger information panels.

Construction of the Southeast Bus Rapid Transit Line would begin fall/winter 2009. The majority of work would be completed by the end of 2010, including additions to the bus fleet, work on bus stops, traffic signals and park and ride lots.  Overall completion, including next bus passenger information would take place in November 2012.

Project Component # 4: Calgary Transit Advanced Passenger Information System
Through the use of technology devices (Global Positioning Systems, wireless modems, back end systems) data will be collected on the position of Calgary Transit vehicles such as buses and light rail vehicles.  This data will be transferred and processed into both customer and operational information.  Customer information will be transmitted to the customers in various formats and through several mediums (eg. Station screens, Teleride, web). 

The Advanced Passenger Information System component has been divided into two stages:

  • Stage 1: Light Rail Transit
    A system for tracking all trains in real-time will be installed, allowing location data to be sent back to the Operations Control Centre (OCC) for processing.  Multiple signs deployed at each LRT Station and system will be connected to web and Teleride information systems.
  • Stage 2: Bus Rapid Transit and Bus Fleet
     The intent of this stage is to use the system to predict arrival times, reduce voice communication and organize the use of the existing Mike phone two-way radio and telephone system and retrieve valuable information from the field.

The installation of Advanced Passenger Information equipment on Calgary Transit vehicles would commence during the Fall of 2009. The installation on the light rail vehicle fleet would be completed late in 2010, with the bus rapid transit fleet completed during Spring 2011, and the remainder of installations on the bus fleet completed during Fall 2012.

Project Component #5: Transit Priority Projects for Calgary Transit
The purpose of this component is to implement various transit priority measures along major, high volume bus routes to reduce traffic related delays and increase the reliability and attractiveness of the overall Calgary Transit service. 

The proposed subcomponents are:

  1. LRT Station Access Improvements
    Intersection, roadway (including reserve bus lanes) and traffic signal improvements, are required at the entry and exit points of these stations to reduce delays to buses and improve pedestrian access.
  2. Centre St N Transit Priority
    To improve bus travel times and to reduce delays a combination of intersection improvements, traffic signal priority, and reserved bus lanes is required.
  3. Opticom Expansion
    Currently Opticom equipment is installed at 80 traffic signals to provide buses with an extended green or truncated red signal.  About 320 buses have Opticom equipment to alert traffic signals to the presence of an approaching bus.  All new buses purchased by Calgary Transit are equipped with Opticom.  To greatly expand the benefit of traffic signal priority for Calgary Transit, the remaining 540  buses in the fleet and additional intersections need to be equipped with Opticom. As well, some additional traffic signals that only provide benefit for Fire Department vehicles will be modified to extend priority to buses.
  4. Key Bus Route Priority Initiatives
    Several key bus routes carrying over 65,000 daily passengers require transit priority measures to be implemented at key locations to reduce delays.  These measures include reserved bus lanes, geometric improvements at intersections and traffic signal modifications including queue jumps.
  5. Downtown LRT Priority Improvements
    Calgary’s CTrain carries over 270,000 customers each weekday.  A significant percentage of these passengers travel into and through the downtown with a combined total of over 137,000 daily customers entering and exiting the downtown via Route 201 (South LRT) and Route 202 (Northeast LRT).  Where these two lines come together to operate along a single set of tracks at 3 Street SE, changes are required to the train control and switching infrastructure at this location to reduce train delays and increase capacity.

Project Component # 6:  Electronic Fare Collection System for Calgary Transit
The purpose of this component is to investigate existing electronic fare payment technologies, recommend an appropriate electronic fare collection system for CT lines of business, identify feasible corporate applications, procure an appropriate electronic fare collection system, determine implementation phases, and implement electronic fare collection on all Calgary Transit vehicles.

An electronic fare payment system will:

  • provide accurate, convenient fare payment option to customers;
  • simplify fare validation;
  • expand fare product options, such as providing a corporate pass;
  • increase administrative efficiency in offering these fare options, and;
  • improve Calgary Transit’s capacity to obtain ridership and other transit customer data. 
City of Calgary Website
Date modified:
2010-04-06