The future of the Green Line LRT will be decided by Calgary city council in the new year as questions remain over costs and legal risks to the city.
A revised alignment from the Government of Alberta envisions major changes to the scope of the project, including elevating the line through the downtown core rather than a proposed tunnel.
The province’s proposed plan would see the line travel at-grade from Shepard in the southeast to 7 Avenue S.W.
The city’s former plan was shortened from Eau Claire to Lynwood/Millican, but still included a downtown tunnel, as the costs ballooned to $6.2 billion.
That project was winded down by city council in September, but some segments and contracts were preserved after negotiations with the province.
According to Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, the provincial share of funding for the LRT line rides on council giving the green light to the new plan.
While talks of a transit line in the southeast have been ongoing for decades, the Green Line as Calgarians know it began with a cheque presentation from former federal minister Jason Kenney to former mayor Naheed Nenshi in July 2015.
In the video above, Adam MacVicar lays out a high-level timeline from that day to now.