C-Train is the light rail transit (LRT) system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has been in operation since May 25, 1981. The system is operated by Calgary Transit, a department of the Calgary municipal government.
Contents |
The C-Train system currently operates on 48.8 kilometres (30.3 mi) of track, organized into two routes. The light rail track isn't an isolated network as a connection to the conventional Canadian Pacific Rail line exists via a track switch near Heritage Station.
The longest route numbered 201 serves the southern and northwestern areas, while the shorter route, 202, serves the northeastern sections of the city. Most track is at grade with its own right-of-way. The downtown portion is shared right-of-way serving both routes along the 7th Avenue transit mall at street level. This portion is a zero-fare zone and serves as a downtown people mover. The tracks split at the east and west ends of downtown into lines leading to the south, northeast and northwest residential neighbourhoods of Calgary. An additional line is currently being implemented to extend route 202 to the western neighbourhoods. Eight percent (8%) of the system is underground, and 5% is grade-separated (elevated). Trains are powered by overhead electric wires, using pantographs to draw power. In the early 2000s, Calgary Transit began using the spelling CTrain for the LRT system, although this variation has not passed into general use and local media continue to use C-Train.
In the third quarter of 2010, the C-Train system had an average of 252,600 revenue riders per weekday, the second busiest light rail system in North America behind the Monterrey Metro.[3]
The idea of rail transit in Calgary originated in a 1967 Calgary transportation study, which recommended a two-line metro system to enter service in 1978. The original plans had called for two lines, a northwest-to-south line (on a similar routing to the present-day Northwest and South lines) between the original Banff Trail station (at Crowchild Trail and Northland Drive, between the present-day Brentwood and Dalhousie stations) and Southwood station (at Southland Drive, roughly at the location of the present-day Southland station, with five stations in downtown underneath 7 Avenue; and the west line, which ran from downtown to the community of Glendale, primarily along the 26 Avenue SW corridor. A fourth line, a north central line running from downtown to Thorncliffe mostly along Centre Street was also envisioned, but was thought to be beyond the scope of the study. However, a building boom in the 1970s had caused the heavy rail concept to fall out of favour due to the increased costs of construction, with light rail as its replacement. LRT was chosen over dedicated busways and the expansion of the Blue Arrow bus service (a service similar to bus rapid transit today) because light rail has lower long-term operating costs and to address traffic congestion problems – indeed, the Blue Arrow service all but disappeared in 2000.
The present-day C-Train originated in a 1975 plan, calling for construction of a single line, from the downtown core (8 Street station) to Anderson Road (the present-day Anderson station. The plan was approved by City Council in May 1977, with construction of what would become the LRT's South Line beginning one month later. The South line opened on May 25, 1981. Though the South Line was originally planned to extend to the northwest, political pressures led to the commission of the Northeast Line, running from Whitehorn station (at 36 Street NE and 39 Avenue NE) to the downtown core, with a new downtown terminal station for both lines at 10 Street SW, which opened on April 27, 1985. The Northwest Line, the extension of the South line to the city's northwest, was opened on September 17, 1987, in time for the 1988 Winter Olympics. This line ran from the downtown core to University station, next to the University of Calgary campus. Since then, all three lines have been extended incrementally, with most of the stations commissioned and built in the 2000s (with the exception of Brentwood which opened in 1990, only 3 years after the original Northwest line opened):
| August 31, 1990 | Brentwood station | Northwest Line |
| October 9, 2001 | Canyon Meadows station Fish Creek-Lacombe station |
South Line |
| December 15, 2003 | Dalhousie station | Northwest Line |
| June 28, 2004 | Shawnessy station Somerset-Bridlewood station |
South Line |
| December 17, 2007 | McKnight-Westwinds station | Northeast Line |
| June 15, 2009 | Crowfoot station | Northwest Line |
The system initially used Siemens-Duewag U2 DC LRVs (originally designed for German metros, and used by Edmonton's earlier LRT and the U-Bahn, a light rail system in Frankfurt), which constituted the entire fleet until July 2001, when the first Siemens SD-160 cars were delivered. A total of 83 U2 DCs have been delivered to Calgary over three separate orders; 27 in 1981, 3 in 1983, and 53 in 1984 and are numbered 2001 - 2083. Today, 80/83 U2 DCs remain in service. The following have been retired:
- LRV 2010 was destroyed in March 2002 when it collided with a truck at the 4 Avenue SW crossing as it was leaving the downtown. The LRV was retired as a result.
- LRV 2019 was damaged in April 2007 when it collided with a flatbed truck in the intersection of Memorial Drive/28 Street SE near Franklin Station. The LRV was retired. However, in 2010 Calgary Transit put together the good end of 2019 with the good end of 2027 to create LRV 2090.
- LRV 2050 was damaged in October 2007 when it collided with a vehicle at the 58 Avenue SW crossing near Chinook Station. The LRV was retired as a result. However, in 2010 Calgary Transit decided to repair 2050 and it is now back in service.
- LRV 2027 was damaged when it hit a Crane in the median of Crowchild Trail near Dalhouse Station in May 2008. The LRV was retired. However, in 2010 Calgary Transit put together the good end of 2019 with the good end of 2027 to create LRV 2090.
- LRV 2057 was damaged when it hit a backhoe that was being used in the construction of the new 3 Street W station on 7 Avenue downtown in the summer of 2009. It has been retired.
In 1988, the Alberta Government purchased from Siemens 2 U2 AC units, the first of their kind in North America, for trials on both the Edmonton and Calgary LRT systems. The cars were originally numbered 3001 and 3002 and served in Edmonton from 1988 - Spring 1990. These LRVs came to Calgary in the summer of 1990 and in September, Calgary Transit decided to purchase the cars from the Province and then applied the CT livery to the cars (they were previously plain white in both Edmonton and Calgary), they reatined their original fleet numbers of 3001 and 3002 until 1999, when CT renumberd the cars 2101 and 2102. Initially, these two cars were only run together as a 2-car consist as they were incompatible with the U2 DCs. In 2003, Calgary Transit made the two U2 ACs compatible as slave cars between two SD160s and have been running them like this ever since.
In July 2001, Calgary Transit brought the first of 15 new SD160 LRVs into service to accomodate the South LRT Extension Phase I and increased capacity. Throughout 2003, another 17 SD160 LRVs were introduced into the fleet to accomodate the NW Extension to Dalhousie as well as the South LRT Extension Phase II. However, demand for light rail has exploded in recent years. In the decade prior to 2006, the city's population grew by 25% to over 1 million people, while ridership on the C-Train grew at twice that rate, by 50% in only 10 years. This resulted in severe overcrowding on the trains and demands for better service. In December 2004, city council approved an order for 33 additional SD-160 vehicles from Siemens to not only address overcrowding, but to accomodate the NE extension to McKnight/Westwinds and the NW extension to Crowfoot. These new SD160s started to enter service in November 2006. In December 2006, CT extended the order by 7 cars to a total of 40 cars, which had all been delivered by the spring of 2008. There are now a total of 72 first-generation SD 160s numbered 2201 - 2272.
In November 2007 city council approved purchasing another 38 SD-160 Series 8 LRVs to be used in conjunction with the West LRT extension (2013) and further expansions to the NE (Saddletowne 2012)and NW legs(Tuscany 2014). These are new-generation train cars with lots of upgraded features over the original SD160s. These units started to enter service in December 2010 and will be numbered 2301 - 2338. When all are finally delivered by mid-2012, the city's fleet will include 192 light rail vehicles. At that point in time the city will increase the frequency of trains from one every 5 minutes to one every 3 minutes during rush hour.
Calgary Transit plans to slowly retire their U2 LRVs from 2013 - 2020 and as a result, Calgary Transit is ready to place another odrer for 50 more SD160 Series 8 LRVs.
As of 2009 there is a total of 48.8 km of track; the three lines are 20.7 km (the southern line), 12.5 km (the northeastern line), and 15.0 km (the northwestern line) in length.
In 2001, the C-Train became the first public transit system in Canada to claim all of its electricity from emissions-free wind power generation. The electricity is generated by Enmax operating in the southernmost region of Alberta.[4][5] The trains are powered from the same power grid as before; however, an equivalent amount of electricity is produced at the southern wind farms and "dedicated" to the C-Train. Under Alberta's deregulated market for electricity, large consumers can contract to purchase their electricity from a specific vendor, although the individual electrons received off the province-wide grid may not be exactly the same as those transmitted. The only requirement is that supply and demand be the same at each end.
On February 18, 2009, Calgary Transit announced that the C-Train had carried one billion (1,000,000,000) riders in the 28 years since the start of service on May 25, 1981.[6] The trains were now carrying over 280,000 passengers every weekday, higher than any other light rail system in Canada or the United States. Mayor Dave Bronconnier stated that more vehicles were on order to deal with crowding, the northeast and the northwest legs were being extended, and construction of the new west leg was due to start later in the year.[7]
In the following section preliminary timelines for construction of future stations are referenced. For example, construction of a north C-Train line is not expected until after 2023. It should be noted that the city has, on several occasions, accelerated construction of C-Train expansion due to demand and available money. For example the McKnight-Westwinds station, which opened in 2007, was, as recently as 2002, not planned until beyond 2010. Similarly, the timeline of construction of the south line extension was also pushed up several years due to increasing population and traffic volume. There are plans to develop new routes into the center north and the southeast of the city.
In 2010, the entire CCTV Security Camera network was replaced with new, state of the art, IP based cameras along with a new 10GB Fiber-optic network ring to each leg of the LRT line. The project was completed by Contava Inc and will see continuous future upgrades as new stations and technology become available.
Rides taken solely within the downtown are free. This is known as the 7th Avenue Free Fare Zone and encompasses all C-Train stations along 7th Avenue.[8] Fares for regular travel are shown in the accompanying table. In addition to the fares below, on March 16, 2009, Calgary Transit began charging a $3 parking fee in all Park and Ride lots, except between the hours of 6 pm and 2 am on weekdays and all day weekends and holidays. This fee was removed in spring 2011 due to huge public opposition.[9] Full-time students attending Alberta College of Art and Design, SAIT Polytechnic, Mount Royal University, and the University of Calgary, pay into the UPass program through a fee on their tuition that provides students full access to transit services during each school semester.[10][11][12]
| Fare Type | Price (Canadian dollars)[13] |
| Cash Fare | $2.75 |
| Youth Cash Fare | $1.75 |
| Book of 10 Tickets | $27.75 |
| Book of 10 Youth Tickets | $17.50 |
| Day Pass | $8.25 |
| Youth Day Pass | $5.25 |
| Monthly Pass | $94.00 |
| Youth Monthly Pass | $54.25 |
| Monthly Pass, Reduced Rate | $40.00 |
| Senior Citizen Annual Pass | $55.00 |
| Senior Citizen Annual Pass, Reduced Rate | $15.00 |
| UPass – Mount Royal University | $105.00[10] |
| UPass – SAIT Polytechnic | $105.00[12] |
| UPass – University of Calgary | $105.00[11] |
There are currently two major routes in operation: Route 201 (Somerset/Bridlewood–Crowfoot) and Route 202 (McKnight/Westwinds–City Centre).
This route comprises two lines: the south line, which was the first of the three lines to be built, and the northwest line, which is the newest of the three lines to be built. Currently there are eleven stations on the south line and eight on the northwest line.
As part of the original Route 201 south line, nine stations were built along 7th Avenue S, which formed the 7th Avenue Free Fare Zone. The track runs at grade in a semi-exclusive right of way, shared with buses and city and emergency vehicles.
Westbound stations consisted of Olympic Plaza (formerly 1 Street E, renamed in 1987), 1 Street W, 4 Street W, and 7 Street W. Eastbound stations consisted of 8 Street W, 6 Street W, 3 Street W, Center Street and City Hall (formerly 2 Street E, renamed in 1987). When the Northeast line opened in 1985, two stations were added; 3 Street E serving Westbound 202 trains only, and 10 Street W, a center-loading platform which served as the terminus of route 201 and 202 until the Northwest line opened in 1987. 10 Street W will continue as the terminus of route 202 until 2012.
As part of Calgary's 7 Avenue Refurbishment project, 3 Street E and Olympic Plaza stations have been decomissioned and replaced by the new dual-platform City Hall Station in 2011. 10 Street W will be decomissioned and replaced with the new 11 Street W dual-platform station in 2012.
Seven stations on this line opened on May 25, 1981, as the first light railway line to serve the city. From north to south, they are Victoria Park/Stampede (originally Stampede), Erlton/Stampede (originally Erlton), 39 Avenue (originally 42 Avenue), Chinook, Heritage (also the site of the Haysboro LRT Storage Facility), Southland, and Anderson (also the site of the Anderson LRT Yards). On October 9, 2001, two new stations were added: Canyon Meadows and Fish Creek-Lacombe. On June 28, 2004, two more stations opened: Shawnessy and Somerset-Bridlewood. A further three stations—Silverado (most likely in the area of 194th Avenue SW), 212th Avenue South, and Pine Creek (in the area around 228th Avenue SW) – are planned for the future once the communities adjacent to their location are developed, likely beyond 2020.[14]
Five stations on this line opened on September 7, 1987. From the most central to the most northwesterly, they are Sunnyside, SAIT/ACAD/Jubilee (the station name in full is "Southern Alberta Institute of Technology/Alberta College of Art and Design/Jubilee Auditorium"), Lions Park, Banff Trail, and University. On August 31, 1990, Brentwood station was opened as a new terminus, and on December 15, 2003, Dalhousie Station was opened. An eighth station – Crowfoot (formerly Crowfoot-Centennial) – opened on June 15, 2009.[15] A ninth station – Tuscany (formerly Tuscany-Rocky Ridge) – was approved in November 2007 for completion by 2014.[16] An intermediate station near Northland Drive is possible in the future as well (between Brentwood and Dalhousie).
This route comprises one line: the northeast line. Seven of these stations opened on April 27, 1985; from most central to most northeastern, they are: Bridgeland/Memorial, Zoo, Barlow/Max Bell, Franklin, Marlborough, Rundle, and Whitehorn. An eighth station – McKnight/Westwinds – opened in 2007. Two more stations – expected to be named Martindale and Saddletowne[17] – were approved by city council in November 2007 and will open in 2012.[16] Additional stations are proposed for future development, likely beyond 2023, at 96th Avenue, Country Hills Boulevard, 128th Avenue (north of Skyview Ranch) and Stoney Trail (in the Stonegate Landing development),[17] as those areas are developed.[18]
Plans exist to build two additional lines from the city centre: a westbound line (which would extend Route 202), and a southeastern line. A third, northern line is to be planned beyond 2023. Note: station names listed below are subject to change (as Calgary Transit has, on several occasions in the past, renamed approved stations prior to construction).
The plans for this line, which runs west from downtown, have existed since the beginning of construction of the South Line in 1978.[19] Construction began in 2009 and will open March 2013, instead of December 10, 2012, because of utility work delays for the Bow Trail and 17th Avenue SW corridors.[20]
The City of Calgary began a review process in late 2006 to update the plans to current standards, and Calgary City Council gave final approval to the project[21] and allocated the required $566-million project funding on November 20, 2007.[16] Funding for the project will be sourced from the infrastructure fund that was created as a result of the Province of Alberta returning the education tax portion of property taxes to the city. Construction of this line began in 2009 and is being constructed at the same time as further extensions of the NE and NW lines of the LRT system that were approved in November 2007.
The West LRT line has six station to be named (from east to west): Sunalta (near 16th Street S.W.), Shaganappi Point, Westbrook, 45th Street West (Glendale), Sirocco, and 69th Street West (west of 69th Street S.W. near Westside Recreation Centre).
The updated alignment from the 2007 West LRT Report[17] includes the line running on an elevated guideway beginning west of the future 11th Street S.W. station, running along the CPR right of way to Bow Trail S.W., and then to 24th Street S.W. The line will then run at grade past Shaganappi Point Station and drop into a tunnel to 33rd Street SW. The tunnel will then run under the Westbrook Mall parking lot, and the current site of the decommissioned Ernest Manning Senior High School. The line will then follow the north side of 17th Avenue S.W. past 37th Street S.W. below grade to 45th Street Station. Past 45th Street the line will run at grade, and approaching Sarcee Trail S.W. will move onto an elevated guideway that will pass over Sarcee Trail S.W. The line will then run at grade to the Sirocco Station, and then proceed to drop below grade and pass under eastbound 17th Avenue S.W. at 69th Street S.W. and return to grade on the south side of the avenue. The line will then terminate at the site of the final station located to the west of 69th Street S.W. (tentatively known as College Station due to the proximity to two private colleges that are located adjacent to the station).[22]
Three of the new West LRT stations will be located at grade. Westbrook, 45 Street SW,[23] and 69th St. SW stations will be located below grade, while Sunalta will be an elevated station.[24] On October 5, 2009, the city council announced approval of a plan to put a portion of the west LRT line in a trench at 45th Street and 17th Avenue SW, a move welcomed by advocates who fought to have it put underground. The change will cost an estimated $61 million, however lower than expected construction costs are expected to absorb much of the change. The cost for the project is now over budget by at least C$35 million and the overall cost could be more than C$1.46 billion because of soaring costs of land used.[25][26]
On October 29, 2009 city council announced that the contract to construct the West LRT had been awarded to a consortium led by SNC Lavalin.[27]
Future extension of the West LRT to Aspen Woods Station (around 17th Avenue and 85th Street SW) has been planned, and future extensions further west to 101st Street SW may be added as new communities adjacent to 17th Avenue SW are built.[22]
This line is planned to run from downtown (although on a different routing, not following the 7th Avenue corridor) to the communities of Douglasdale and McKenzie Lake and McKenzie Towne in the southeast, and onwards past Highway 22X into the so-called "Homesteads" region east of the Deerfoot Trail extension. Eighteen stations have been planned for this route, of which up to eleven are expected to be built by 2023. Three of the proposed downtown stations are expected to be built underground,[28] and the rest of the line will follow the 52 Street SE corridor from Douglasdale and McKenzie Towne to Auburn Bay (south of Highway 22X) and then wind its way through Health Campus (adjacent to a planned southeast hospital) and Seton. Unlike Routes 201 and 202, which use high-floor U2 and SD-160 LRVs, the eastern route is expected to employ low-floor LRVs,[29] such as the Siemens Avanto.
From north to south, the proposed stations are: Eau Claire, Central (at 6 Avenue), Macleod Trail, 4 Street SE, Ramsay/Inglewood, Crossroads, Highfield, Lynnwood, Ogden, South Hill, Quarry Park, Douglasglen (the last expected by 2023), Shepard, Prestwick, McKenzie Towne, Auburn Bay/Mahogany (at 52nd Street), Health Campus/Seton (the station likely will share the name of the hospital), with further stations to the south expected in the future.[30] [31]
Although it is not expected to be built until beyond 2023[32], this line for which a route has not yet been approved by council south of Beddington Trail or north of Stoney Trail, would serve the residential communities of Country Hills, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, and Panorama Hills, and could extend north to Airdrie.[33] The line is planned to connect to a proposed multi-mode transportation hub at 96th Avenue before reaching Harvest Hills Boulevard, connecting the airport, bus service, and a proposed high-speed rail service to Edmonton.[34]
Currently, Calgary Transit operates three-car trains. The five newest stations—Crowfoot, Dalhousie, McKnight-Westwinds, Shawnessy, and Somerset-Bridlewood have all been built with 4-car platfroms. As part of the 7 Avenue Refurbishment Project, 8 Street W, 7 Street W, 6 Street W, 4 Street W, 3 Street W, 1 Street W, and City Hall stations now have 4-car platfroms with Center Street and 11 Street W to follow in 2012. It is planned to expand original stations outside of downtown to support four car trains. As of December 2011 Brentwood, Erlton/Stampede, Southland, Canyon Meadows and Whitehorn stations have been extended. And the rest will be extended as follows:
- Heritage, Fish Creek-Lacombe, and Sunnyside in 2012
- Marlborough, Rundle, University, Chinook, and Anderson in 2012/2013
- Barlow/Max Bell, Bridgeland/Memorial, Zoo, and Franklin in 2013
- Victoria Park/Stampede, 39 Avenue, SAIT, Lion's Park, and Banff Trail in 2013/2014
By 2023 Calgary Transit also plans to begin decommissioning some of the original Siemens-Duewag U2s (as of 2010 eighty of the original eighty-three are in service, and are nearing twenty-seven years of service, and by 2023 will be forty-two years old). Additional LRVs have been added to the system to accommodate growth, including 72 Siemens SD160 LRVs as of late 2008, with an additional 38 ordered in conjunction with the NW and NE LRT extensions, and the West LRT, which will be completed by 2011 and 2012, respectively.
In June 2007 the City of Calgary released information on the schedule for the refurbishment of the remaining original downtown stations.[35] The plan involves replacing and relocating most stations, and expanding Centre Street station which was refurbished and relocated one block East (adjacent to the Telus Convention Center in 2000, to board four-car trains. The new stations will retain existing names, however they may be shifted one block east or west, or to the opposite side of 7th Avenue.
- 1 Street W - new platform relocated one block East opened October 28, 2005
- 7 Street W - new platfrom relocated one block East opened Februray 27, 2009
- 6 Street W - reconstructed in original location. Original platform closed April 2008 and new platform opened March 27, 2009
- 8 Street W - new platform relocated one block East opened December 18, 2009
- 3 Street W - reconstructed in original location. Original platform closed April 20, 2009 and new platform opened March 12, 2010
- 3 Street E - permanently closed May 3, 2010. To be replaced with new dual-platform City Hall Station
- 4 Street W - reconstrucetd in original location. Original platform closed January 7, 2010 and new platfrom opened January 21, 2011
- City Hall - original Eastbound platform rebuilt with new Westbound platform to replace 3 Street E and Olympic Plaza. Original platfrom closed May 3, 2010.This requires that the stations be closed during demolition and reconstruction, however only one station will be closed at any one time. The new stations will feature longer platforms for longer trains, better integration of the platforms into the sidewalk system, better lighting, and more attractive landscaping and street furniture.
The 10th Street SW Station, which is currently the terminus for Route 202 in the downtown, will be replaced with a new station located one block to the west at 11th Street SW. This station was initially proposed to be undertaken as the first station to be completed in the refurbishment project, however it has been pushed back and will now be completed closer to 2012 and the opening of the West LRT.
In addition to numerous tunnels to allow trains to pass under roadways, geographic features, and mainline railways, there are other notable underground portions of Calgary's C-Train system.
Part of the system through downtown is planned to be transferred underground when needed to maintain reliable service. Given this, portions of the needed infrastructure have been built as adjacent and associated land was developed.[36] As a result of this original plan, when the City of Calgary built a new Municipal Building, it built a short section of tunnel to connect the existing CPR tunnel to the future tunnel under 8th Avenue S. The turnoff to this station is visible in the tunnel on Route 201 entering downtown from the south, shortly before City Hall. However, after urban explorers discovered the tunnel and visited it during a transit strike, the city walled off the spur tunnel with cinder blocks.
As the population of metropolitan Calgary increases and growing suburbs require new lines and extensions, the higher train volumes will exceed the ability of the downtown section along 7th Avenue S to accommodate them. To provide for long-term expansion, the city is reviewing its plans to put parts of the downtown section underground. The current plans allow the expanded Route 202 (Northeast/West) to use the existing 7th Avenue S surface infrastructure. The expanded Route 201 (Northwest/South), currently sharing 7th Avenue S with Route 202, will be relocated to a new tunnel dug beneath 8th Avenue S. The future Southeast/Downtown route will probably enter downtown through a shorter tunnel under one or more streets (candidates include 2nd Street W, 5th Street W, 6th Street W, 8th Avenue S, 10th Avenue S, 11th Avenue S, and 12th Avenue S). The future North line will probably share track from the Zoo station through downtown with the existing Northeast line (Route 202), avoiding the cost of a tunnel until passenger volumes grow.[30] Although Calgary City Council commissioned a functional study for the downtown metro component of the C-Train system in November 2007, the city is unlikely to complete this expansion before 2017 unless additional funding is received from provincial or federal governments.
The typical C-Train station outside the downtown core allows for several methods of passenger arrival and departure. Many C-Train passengers travel to and from suburban stations on feeder bus routes that wend their way through surrounding neighbourhoods. Another popular option is a Park and Ride lot, in which commuters drive to a station by car and then transfer to a C-Train to complete their journey. Alternatively, some C-Train passengers disembark at drop-off zones from vehicles travelling elsewhere; because many of these commuters are conveyed by their spouses, these zones are branded as Kiss and Ride areas.
| Station | Route | Area | Open | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowfoot | Route 201 | NW | 2009 | |
| Dalhousie | Route 201 | NW | 2003 | |
| Brentwood | Route 201 | NW | 1990 | |
| University | Route 201 | NW | 1987 | |
| Banff Trail | Route 201 | NW | 1987 | |
| Lions Park | Route 201 | NW | 1987 | |
| SAIT/ACAD/Jubilee | Route 201 | NW | 1987 | |
| Sunnyside | Route 201 | NW | 1987 | |
| 8th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 6th/7th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 3rd/4th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 1st St. SW/Centre St. | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| Olympic Plaza/City Hall | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| Victoria Park/Stampede | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Erlton/Stampede | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| 39th Avenue | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Chinook | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Heritage | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Southland | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Anderson | Route 201 | S | 1981 | |
| Canyon Meadows | Route 201 | S | 2001 | |
| Fish Creek-Lacombe | Route 201 | S | 2001 | |
| Shawnessy | Route 201 | S | 2004 | |
| Somerset-Bridlewood | Route 201 | S | 2004 |
| Station | Route | Area | Open | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th St. SW | Route 202 | Downtown | 1985 | |
| 8th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 6th/7th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 3rd/4th St. SW | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 1st St. SW/Centre St. | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| Olympic Plaza/City Hall | Route 201, 202 | Downtown | 1981 | |
| 3rd St. SE | Route 202 | Downtown | 1985 | |
| Bridgeland/Memorial | Route 202 | SE | 1985 | |
| Zoo | Route 202 | SE | 1985 | |
| Barlow/Max Bell | Route 202 | SE | 1985 | |
| Franklin | Route 202 | SE | 1985 | |
| Marlborough | Route 202 | NE | 1985 | |
| Rundle | Route 202 | NE | 1985 | |
| Whitehorn | Route 202 | NE | 1985 | |
| McKnight-Westwinds | Route 202 | NE | 2007 |
| Station | Route | Area | Open | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscany | Route 201 | NW | 2014 | |
| Martindale | Route 202 | NE | 2012 | |
| Saddletowne | Route 202 | NE | 2012 | |
| 69th St. SW | Route 202 | West | 2013 | |
| Sirocco | Route 202 | West | 2013 | |
| 45th St. SW | Route 202 | West | 2013 | |
| Westbrook | Route 202 | West | 2013 | |
| Shaganappi Point | Route 202 | West | 2013 | |
| Sunalta | Route 202 | West | 2013 |
The C-Train's high ridership rate and cost effectiveness is attributed to a number of factors. The nature of Calgary itself has encouraged C-Train use. Calgary has a dense downtown business district, with the second most corporate head offices in Canada after Toronto, most of them crowded into about one square kilometre of land. In recent decades the population has grown dramatically, outpacing the ability of roads to transport people into the city.[37]
Costs were controlled during construction and operation of the system by using relatively cheap, existing technology. A grade separated system was passed over in preference of a system without significant elevated or buried elements and the trains and stations selected were of the tried and tested, utilitarian variety (for example, vehicles are not air conditioned, storage yards are not automated and stations are in general concrete platforms with a modest shelter overhead). This allowed more track to be laid with the available funds and contrasts with the Edmonton Light Rail Transit which buried the portion of the system in downtown and under the University of Alberta, increasing costs. The C-Train uses a self service model of payment, reducing fare collection costs.
In 2001, the US General Accounting Office released a study of the cost-effectiveness of American light rail systems.[38] Although not included in the report, Calgary had a capital cost of US$24.5 million per mile (year 2000 dollars), which would be the sixth lowest (Edmonton was given as US$41.7 million per mile). Because of its high ridership (then 188,000 boardings per weekday) the capital cost per passenger was $2,400 per daily passenger, by far the lowest of the 14 systems compared (had Edmonton been included it would have been the next most cost effective at $8,900 per weekday passenger, while the closest American system was Sacramento at $9,100 per weekday passenger). Operating costs are also low, in 2005, the C-Train cost CDN$163 per operating hour to operate. With an average of 600 boardings per hour, cost per LRT passenger is CDN$0.27, compared to $1.50 for bus passengers in Calgary.[39]
Planning for the C-Train also played an important role. Although the light rail system was not chosen until 1976, the city had reserved transit corridors for some form of high capacity transport in the 1960s, and planning for the system was done when Calgary's population was less than 500,000. The city reached an agreement with CP Rail to build most of the south line along their existing right-of-way. The lines and stations were placed to serve large residential areas and business districts and to serve existing and predicted travel patterns. Feeder bus stations were established.
The city chose not to build major freeways into the city centre, forcing commuters to use the train as their numbers increased but downtown street capacity did not. Similarly, the city limited the number of parking spaces in the downtown core, making it prohibitively expensive for many people to drive to downtown jobs, particularly as surface lots gave way to development. Downtown unreserved monthly parking is amongst the most expensive in North America, behind only Midtown and Downtown Manhattan for business districts.[40][41] As a result, in 2006 over 42% of Calgary's 112,000 downtown workers used Calgary Transit to get to work.
Although not generally grade separated, the C-Train is able to operate at high speeds on much of its track by separating it from pedestrians with fences and concrete bollards. Trains are also given right of way at most road crossings outside of downtown. As a result, trains are able to operate at 80 km/h (50 mph) outside of downtown, and 40 km/h (25 mph) along the 7th Avenue corridor. 7th Avenue is a free fare zone, encouraging use for short hops through the city. The city achieves high capacity on the 7th Avenue transit corridor by staging the traffic lights, so that all the trains move forward in unison to the next station on the synchronized green lights, and load and unload passengers on the intervening red lights.[39]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||