Shovels are in the ground on the southeast leg of Calgary’s Green Line LRT project, but how the tracks will get through the city’s downtown remains a contentious debate.
Construction began on the $6.2-billion project back in June, with work set to take place between Shepard and Calgary’s new event centre in Victoria Park. That section of the line is scheduled to be operational by 2031.
“Finally seeing construction, dust fly, things moving around, it’s great to see,” said Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, Devin Dreeshen.
But uncertainty remains for the segment through the downtown core.
Original plans had the Green Line tunnelling under the downtown core, but those were scrapped after the province threatened to pull its $1.5 billion share of funding after significant cost escalations saw the route shortened last year.
The province commissioned an engineering firm to develop a revised downtown alignment, which sees line travel above 10 Avenue S.E., turning north above the CPKC Rail tracks to 2 Street S.W. and stopping above 7 Avenue S.W., where the Red and Blue lines travel at-grade through the core.
Although city council approved the revised route so construction could begin in the southeast, it directed administration to undertake a functional study for the alignment through the downtown core, including design, engagement with stakeholders, firming up cost estimates, and determining property and safety impacts.
At the time, city administration warned it found an additional $1.2 billion in cost and risks not accounted for in the province’s assessments.
More details on the study are expected by the end of this year, with consultations set to begin early next year.
An elevated alignment downtown has faced criticism from downtown businesses and stakeholders, with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce pushing for the project to be moved back underground.
“The impact of an elevated alignment would be considerable to many businesses, with temporary and permanent lost revenue due to lack of access, noise concerns, construction disruptions, poor foot traffic under the track, and perceived safety impacts,” said the Chamber of Commerce in its 2025 municipal election priorities document.
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However, Dreeshen maintained the project hinges on the Green Line LRT running on an elevated route through the downtown core.
“I’d just like to remind the City of Calgary that the business plan they put forward to the provincial and federal governments has an above-ground alignment through the downtown core,” Dreeshen told Global News.
“It was through that change of not tunnelling that allowed the Green Line to extend all the way down to Shepard.”
Whoever is elected mayor in the upcoming municipal vote on Oct. 20 will inherit the functional study and the project’s future direction.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who is running for re-election, said she is waiting for the results of the functional study.
She has long debated that multiple studies into the issue showed the underground alignment as the best option to get through the downtown core.
“We’ve already done this before, and we’ve demonstrated that the underground option is the preferable one, but the province seems to think they’ve got a better idea,” Gondek said.
“If their idea is the better one, it will come out in the functional study.”
Jeromy Farkas, who voted against the Green Line when he was city councillor for Ward 11, said he wants to see the first phase of the project built, but is eager for consultations after hearing concerns from downtown businesses.
“Let’s do this research, let’s do this study and if it comes back this is not the way to go, I believe we have a provincial government that is willing to work with the City of Calgary,” Farkas said. “Right now it’s just hypotheticals.”
Jeff Davison was also on council during debates over the Green Line, representing Ward 6 between 2017 and 2021.
He said the elevated alignment will impact future investment and opportunities in the downtown core, and prefers a cut-and-cover method to an underground route.
“The elevated alignment, we’ve studied to death and it’s not going to work,” Davison said.
“We know it’s going to negatively impact vibrancy and our ability to fill office towers downtown.”
An underground alignment is also the preference for Brian Thiessen, running for mayor under The Calgary Party banner, with a platform that pledges the completion of the entire Green Line without further delays.
Thiessen noted a provincial election is around the corner in 2027 and Calgary will be necessary to form government.
“I think we can leverage the provincial election to say to the UCP government, ‘Let’s talk some sense, let’s roll up our sleeves and let’s get back to the underground route,’” he told Global News.
Global News reached out to Communities First mayoral candidate and Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp for comment but did not get a response.
Dreeshen said he is looking forward to working with the next city council and mayor on the future of the file.
“It’s great to be able to continue that work with whoever wins in the municipal election,” he said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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