Downtown LRT Feasibility Study

LRT network planning has identified the need for 3 additional LRT lines to be built before Calgary reaches the 1.5 million population mark. Transit service capacity is critical to continued employment and residential growth in central Calgary. This report examines the feasibility of alignments required to complete the connection of SE LRT to the downtown core and to examine the implications of planning for the West and North-Central lines.

A downtown alignment for SE LRT is required to complete the planning for this future line. An approved alignment for SE LRT extends from south of Highway 22X to the Elbow River, just south of 9 Avenue SW. The primary purpose of the downtown alignment study, examines options and recommends a route for SE LRT to access the downtown. Selection of the downtown alignment takes into account LRT operating requirements, land use and community planning, urban design, the roadway network and area redevelopment planning studies in East Victoria Crossing, the Beltline, East Village and Downtown.

Victoria Crossing, along with other affected stakeholder groups, contributed to this planning process for the SE LRT downtown alignment providing input to the selection of potential routes. Of great importance was the integration of the SE LRT line and stations with existing and future streetscapes, the desire to minimize impact of LRT on traffic and enhanced mobility. The preference of the stakeholders is for low floor LRT cars to reduce the scale of the station platforms to that of enhanced sidewalks. A preferred alignment for SE LRT, with two construction options to utilize a portion of 10th Avenue SE, has been incorporated into the proposed Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan. This alignment is consistent with the recommendation of this study.

The Downtown LRT Feasibility Study will be presented to Standing Policy Committee on Land Use, Planning & Transportation (LPT) at its meeting scheduled for 2006 February 15. The agenda for the LPT meeting can be viewed HERE a few days before this meeting date.