Increasingly less so. AB cities are fairly progressive. It's the uneducated, mouth-breathing conspiratorial types in rural areas that are holding the conservative faction together... And I'm not sure if you can even call their values conservative anymore... Peter Lougheed would hardly recognize the reactionary wildrose base as "conservative."
There's an access ramp on 2nd Street for vehicles on 9th Ave. The option I'd figured is they can choose to elevate over it at a +45 level (which may need to be considered anyway due to a double stacked +15 nearby 7th Ave), or remove the ramp, and have 10th Ave as the only access to the parkade. Either way, it'll need to be at a high height due to freight rail.
If you elevated the tracks through downtown on 2 st, how do you get it over the tracks? First of all there is a massive parkade just south of them @ 10&2nd. Second the gradual grade that is required for a train to go up the slope (+30 over tracks) would require it to start probably by the bus barn if it was going downtown (it has too clear all north/south roads along way too). All the options thru downtown have been studied to death. It’s why underground is the only practical option.
I wonder if 12th ave to 5 st is really not possible elevated. You would need to figure out how to work it with the existing bike lanes etc, but a station near Chumir and then using the surface parking lot to swing around for the curve up 5th might make the best sense for getting people to where they want to go.I would say 4th street would be the natural alignment, but then the issue is getting over The Core, which at 4 storeys plus the domed roof, isn’t really feasible I guess. I always thought 11th and 2nd alignment was underbuilt though. 12 Ave and 5th Street tunnel would have been better. Get the people to where people go, easier. Employment Centre, population centre, mall, medical centre, etc. plus there’s both an eastbound and westbound station adjoining at 5th street. A station at Central Memorial Park on 12th, then turn up 5th building the turn under the Chumir parking lot. Even having the terminus at 5th and 7th.
Even 3rd would be better, since the plan already is to rebuild 3rd eventually anyways. Would make a good single lane one-way.
And that’s the end of my fantasy 10 billion dollar diatribe.
Good to hear the project is restarting!
Province recommits funding to Calgary's Green Line LRT project
"Productive discussions" between the city and province over the past few weeks have led to the decision to resume Green Line Construction.calgary.citynews.ca
My reading is 4th Street SE station is at-grade and thus 12 Avenue alignment is a no go, how would you get it there? I think a 4th Street Se station at-grade gives you only two options.
I am not an urban planner, just a lowly project manager, so I am unaware of what was discussed before, but why could the station not be on 12 Ave right outside the new stadium? Most of that side of the stadium is grade level gathering places and restaurants. This would most likely be the best route and that is why they decided to tunnel this route, but just wondering why grade level to elevated would not work.
The province's need for it to be integrated into a Grand Central Station. Maybe 12 Avenue does that, but I think they've decided the at-grade station is either on 10 or 11 Avenues. I think 10 Avenue. Unfortunately, journalists don't have our enthusiasm for this project so they don't clarify what has been decided on 4 Street SE station. Something has been decided because they're now (maybe after the long weekend as those people are likely celebrating having a job today) proceeding with final designs we just know what.
It's a good opportunity to demolish the parkade and build an elevated station over the CP tracks that serves the Beltline and Downtown.
Waterous' are thinking of just that for their proposal.Didn't want to put this in the green line thread... They've got new ideas over at Waterous and they're... Interesting?
Opinion: Untying Calgary's airport, downtown and Green Line Gordian knot
The city's Plus-15 system provides a solution to how to build the Green Link, link to the airport and also run a train out to Banff.calgaryherald.com
"If CPKC gets on board, the province can build CADE from the airport to downtown within the CPKC rail corridor and then elevate the track for 5.5 km between the Bow River and 11th Street S.W. CADE’s 2.4-km downtown section could include three new stations along 9th Avenue: Downtown East (at 4th Street S.E. — Grand Central Station), Midtown (at 3rd Street S.W.) and Downtown West (at 11th Street S.W)."
No way it happens. I like the Waterous' though, they're like us but have money.
Friends of Calgary Airport Banff Rail
Using the first hydrogen-powered passenger train in North America, the Calgary Airport Banff Rail will connect Calgary's airport to downtown Calgary and out to Banff with train stops in between.friendsofcabr.com
Love love love the idea of using the parking lot next to chumir for something. And the thought of shoving visible transit down the throat of 12 ave drivers is absolutely titillating!
Are they using high floor trains? Wouldn't that be a total re-design?
