Calgary Public Transit - Discussion

[Muta]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think the city should be pushing the province to for cost certainty because this is their estimate now

There's a part of me that honestly wouldn't hate for the city to now wait this project out and see what happens with the provincial election in 2027.

[Fuzz]

Except that because the UCP gave the go ahead, we've already committed hundreds of millions of dollars.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Muta

Sorry, I don't personally have access to them. That info nugget comes from the design and construction team members who are (were?) on the project, some of whom I work with regularly though.

Well they've been banging their heads against the wall for nearly a decade now trying to make a tunnel work...that might be what they mean with "studied to death"

Originally Posted by D as in David

We'd be further ahead if the UCP had paid you the $2.5M instead of AECOM.

I'd have done it for $1.8M and given the other $700k necessary to save the project according to one councillor

We'd also be further ahead if the City just gave the province all of their studies that show why elevated can't work. But then the province might reasonably ask if noise, vibrations, aesthetics, and a theoretical $100-160M drop in property values really justify an extra ~Billion...

[Locke]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Well they've been banging their heads against the wall for nearly a decade now trying to make a tunnel work...that might be what they mean with "studied to death"

I'd have done it for $1.8M and given the other $700k necessary to save the project according to one councillor

We'd also be further ahead if the City just gave the province all of their studies that show why elevated can't work. But then the province might reasonably ask if noise, vibrations, aesthetics, and a theoretical $100-160M drop in property values really justify an extra ~Billion...

Problem. Solved.

Get on it City Council.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Muta

There's a part of me that honestly wouldn't hate for the city to now wait this project out and see what happens with the provincial election in 2027.

$1.53B from the feds will evaporate at the end of March. But we've essentially wasted an entire funding cycle either way, so it wouldn't be a huge difference in the long run (ie. the city probably doesn't have capacity to take advantage if the upcoming funding cycle)

[D as in David]

Somebody on Bluesky proposed (half-seriously, I think) that the line end on 10th Ave and then continue as an elevated walkway along with moving walkways down 2nd St. Could connect to the +15/+30s.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Somebody on Bluesky proposed (half-seriously, I think) that the line end on 10th Ave and then continue as an elevated walkway along with moving walkways down 2nd St. Could connect to the +15/+30s.

Just shutdown First Street from 10th Ave and replace it with a street car. Build a bridge to link up with Center Street and run the street car up to 16th or wherever where they can create a terminus for the north line.

[BigThief]

You know what's a terrible idea? Having a brand new train line and having it not connect to the current ones by a couple blocks.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by BigThief

You know what's a terrible idea? Having a brand new train line and having it not connect to the current ones by a couple blocks.

Its a public health initiative. A little walk never hurt anyone.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Locke

Its a public health initiative. A little walk never hurt anyone.

I can't wait for the Wall-e hover chairs

[Torture]

The city put a 'Making Way for the Green Line' sign on the closed Centre/28th Ave NW 711 sometime in the past week lol...
Maybe we'll see it in the north in my lifetime but I'm certainly not optimistic anymore.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Torture

The city put a 'Making Way for the Green Line' sign on the closed Centre/28th Ave NW 711 sometime in the past week lol...
Maybe we'll see it in the north in my lifetime but I'm certainly not optimistic anymore.

The BRT improvements being done on centre street are part of the green line project.

[getbak]

Of course...

https://twitter.com/user/status/1869183071750345173

[BigThief]

So no tunnels and it costs more? Brilliant. Danielle & Devin Financial Group bang out another winner

[GGG]

Originally Posted by BigThief

So no tunnels and it costs more? Brilliant. Danielle & Devin Financial Group bang out another winner

I would bet they didn’t include sunk costs into the previous alignment.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by GGG

I would bet they didn’t include sunk costs into the previous alignment.

It is concerning that there is this much sunk cost apparently only relevant to the tunnel with no real progress. Have we already bought a TBM?

[powderjunkie]

At this point I think you have to consider the provincial funding dead and do what you can to secure as much of the federal funding as you can and build anything productive.

Which means BRT, because it would be incredibly foolish to build an LRT entirely predicated on future extensions in this environment where you cannot trust your funding partner(s) - federal funding as probably about to become similarly precarious.

Give the Province conditions and a deadline for their funding. When they fail to do so, draw big black X over their logo on all of the GL signs in the city. At least they'll have a scapegoat for going back to busses (though I honestly believe it would offer better service than these stub line plans before even considering the lower cost).


NDP platform needs to offer a permanent fix for transit capital projects. This ad hoc approach is garbage.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

It is concerning that there is this much sunk cost apparently only relevant to the tunnel with no real progress. Have we already bought a TBM?

How much of those sunk costs were incurred while the province was fully onboard with tunnelling?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by GGG

I would bet they didn’t include sunk costs into the previous alignment.

Which they shouldn't. You should always compare go-forward costs between two options.

[The Fisher Account]

Honestly, the best thing for The City to do right now may be to just walk away from the project entirely and wait for a new government. This is ridiculous.