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Earlier this week, Calgarians awoke to a slightly more efficient, more connected, city thanks to the debut of the MAX BRT Rapid Transit Network. Consisting of three lines - Purple, Teal, and Orange - the new network criss-crosses the city, connecting numerous neighbourhoods together, to the CTrain, and to the downtown core.
The Purple Line connects Downtown to East Hills, moving east out of the core along 9 Ave SW, through East Village and then Inglewood, before catching 17 Ave SW east of the Bow River, travelling through Forest Lawn-Forest Heights en route to its terminus just east of the Stony Trail NE.
The Teal Line connects Douglas Glen to Westbrook, travelling largely south of the core from Southeast Calgary northwest across the Bow River via Glenmore Trail, continuing west through Kingsland via Heritage Drive to Heritage Park before heading northwest across the Elbow River. From here the Teal Line continues upon a somewhat circuitous northwest route, through Lincoln Park and Killarney via 37 St NW, before reaching its northern terminus at the Westbrook Mall.
Last but not least, the Orange Line connects Brentwood to Saddletowne, travelling mostly west-east across the top of the city, north of the core, from the University of Calgary to Saddle Ridge. Wending south from the UofC campus, the Orange Line picks up 16 Ave NW, which it takes from St. Andrews Heights to Marlborough, before cutting north up 36 St NE and then 52 St NE/Falconridge Blvd.
As viewed in the first map, the three new MAX BRT lines all intersect numerous times with both current Red and Blue CTrain lines, as they will in the near future with the upcoming Green Line. A massively transformative undertaking for Calgary Transit, the switch-over has affected several dozen local bus routes, serving to streamline and significantly speed up the flow of public transit along a handful of key corridors.
Excited to the MAX? Hop aboard and tell us all about it in the comments section below!
