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In the run-up to Calgary's proposed 2026 Olympic bid, several on City Council including Mayor Nenshi have floated the notion that such a move might be the impetus needed — along with the tens of millions of dollars from Ottawa that would accompany a successful Olympic bid — for a real conversation to take place about the construction of the long-anticipated Airport-Downtown LRT link.
The LRT spur line also became more likely after recent roadwork and lane expansions on Airport Trail, which directs passenger vehicle traffic to the airport, included the construction of a tunnel built large enough to accommodate both vehicle and future LRT traffic.
Completed in 2014, the tunnel was built beneath several runways, and was made with three lanes per direction, which could easily accommodate a future LRT extension from the Green Line LRT (currently under construction) that runs west of the airport directly to the main entrance.
Representing a 6.9-kilometre stretch of road from the nearest future Green Line LRT stop at 96th Avenue NE and Harvest Hills Boulevard N to the corner of Airport Trail NE and 36 Street NE via the Airport Trail NE Tunnel, the spur line would provide passengers with a quick connection to the CTrain, and thus to downtown Calgary. The proposed Airport-Downtown LRT link, though not direct, is viewed by many as a necessary next step for the city, not only in terms of the 2026 Olympic bid, but for the future of Calgary as a modern, 21st century city.
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