Roaring Flames
Senior Member
My biggest question for the existing station location is if there are enough tracks to accommodate CPR freight, trains arriving from both the airport / Banff, and future HSR?
Green Line LRT | ?m | ?s | Calgary Transit
- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
adamyyc
Active Member
I think the surface parking lots on 9 Ave SW between 5 St and 8 St would make a great location for a central station (and surrounding Central Park). Only downfall is it doesn’t intersect the C-train, but it’s not far from 7 Ave SW.
darwink
Senior Member
Yes. CPR is playing ball. Calgary Tower and east are likely best if you want one station since you can viaduct in extra platforms if you really need to, and can put in at least one likely two which is a terminal platform at grade. A western (think 5th and 4th St SW would work for just the airport/Banff line and maybe for HSR. With 4 tracks, there is plenty of capacity if you move yard activities out of the core by paying CPR to build a new one elsewhere.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Did CPR run a passenger station out of their space on 1st and 9Ave SW? It was very limited as it was the tourist train, but could be renovated to work possibly. The event space in there is pretty cool with the old trains, might make a good tourist trap one day...
Disraeli
Active Member
Doesn't the province already own land around 4th St SE for a future HSR station?
darwink
Senior Member
Only the tourist excursions. It would be possible but you'd need to redevelop the loading docks into taxi stand type things, and see if you can squeeze a bus or two down there, while maintaining services to the towers. Integrate the building lobbies, the CPR shed, turn the loading docks into public facing rather than service facing.
Interestingly, in the late 70s, early 80s, VIA had recognized the Calgary Tower station was inadequate. They wanted to take over the Canada Post site instead (where the Penn West/CPR pavillion is). When Canada Post left the site, VIA wasn't able to get the property transferred, and after a few years Canada Post was using the site again.
outoftheice
Active Member
Ish.... the province technically owns it but Remmington Developments is suing the province and CP Rail as they believe they had first right of refusal for that land and they want either the land back for Railtown or a payout as compensation. It was one of the reasons the Green Line was moved south to 11th because there was no guarantee the lawsuit will be finished before Green Line construction begins
UrbanWarrior
Senior Member
Soil testing for the 2nd Street tunnel.
darwink
Senior Member
That land was secured 15 years ago. When did the lawsuit start?
outoftheice
Active Member
Not sure when it started but the lawsuit has been going on for at least the last 5 years because it was already a concern when Council approved the 10th/12th Beltline alignment back in 2017.
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
O-tac
Active Member
That's good news at least that Federal funding won't be impacted should the CPC win. Hopefully it can start full steam ahead now.
Colinfill
Active Member
There's a reason Rempel turned off the comments on her tweet. Here's the announcement without the spin
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/o-toole-...en-line-lrt-funding-with-conditions-1.5570089
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who is not running for re-election in the October municipal election, said he was somewhat confused by O'Toole's announcement, as the Green Line has already been approved by the federal government.
"What I'm reading that saying is they're actually going to cancel that approval, and they will only fund a different project, thereby leading to much more delay," he said.
"I will tell you unequivocally, the federal government, the previous Harper government and the Trudeau government, were in no way the cause of any delays on this project. That is all the government of Alberta, it is all Premier (Jason) Kenney, and to make aspersions otherwise is simply not true."
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/o-toole-...en-line-lrt-funding-with-conditions-1.5570089
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who is not running for re-election in the October municipal election, said he was somewhat confused by O'Toole's announcement, as the Green Line has already been approved by the federal government.
"What I'm reading that saying is they're actually going to cancel that approval, and they will only fund a different project, thereby leading to much more delay," he said.
"I will tell you unequivocally, the federal government, the previous Harper government and the Trudeau government, were in no way the cause of any delays on this project. That is all the government of Alberta, it is all Premier (Jason) Kenney, and to make aspersions otherwise is simply not true."
YYCguy
Active Member
Hopefully Nenshi’s interpretation isn’t true. But there are a number of conditions that O’Toole outlined including provincial approval, which as we all know, has been a major stumbling block in this whole debacle!
Mountain Man
Senior Member
All the politicians need to fuck off and let the city get on with construction!