Achi news desk-
A letter from Alberta’s transportation minister to Calgary’s mayor makes it clear the province will not provide additional dollars to the Green Line LRT project, but also says the city must integrate the new CTrain line into the rail master plan the province.
The letter to the city comes ahead of a June update on the $5.5 billion mega project where the public will learn about potential cost overruns.
In his letter, Devin Dreeshen confirms the province’s commitment of $1.53 billion to the Green Line, but says there will be nothing for phase one beyond that.
“There will be no additional funds available from the province for this project,” read the letter from the transport minister.
“Second, provincial funding is contingent on the City Green Line being fully integrated with the recently announced provincial rail master plan scheduled for release next year,” the letter continues.
Construction on the Green Line has been underway in Calgary for months. The LRT line is planned to run from Shepard in the southeast to Eau Claire, including a tunnel under downtown.
The new state of the province is “alarming,” says Calgary’s mayor.
“You can tinker with toy trains on your table all day and try to come up with a plan,” says Jyoti Gondek.
“We have started building on the Green Line. So the Green Line, having to comply with a false plan is going to mean opening that agreement,” he added.
City officials have previously said they have cut project costs by about $400 million, but councilors acknowledge the budget is likely to climb beyond that.
“So it’s inevitable that those costs will increase,” said Ward 10 councilor Andre Chabot.
“How that is covered – whether we do it through debt financing or other means – I think the plan is that we move forward one way or another.”
Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday that she would like to see the city reconsider its plans for the Green Line route, including whether it should be built on a large scale rather than underground.
“I have been very clear, I thought they made a mistake in the tunneling project which is the most expensive part of the project,” said Smith.
“If it needs to be re-scoped, so that they can do that within their budget, then we would expect them to do that,” he added.
The exact date of completion of the first phase of the Green Line has not been set, but it is estimated that it will be around 2030.
