Topic summary
Green Line (Calgary)
The Green Line, also known as Route 203, is an expansion of the light rail (LRT) network in Calgary, Alberta, planned to run between Calgary's north-central and southeastern boundaries, connecting with the Red Line and the Blue Line in the city's downtown. The Green Line is the largest public infrastructure project in Calgary's history and the first rail line in Calgary to operate low-floor trains. If completed, the full vision of the Green Line would comprise 29 stations spanning 46 kilometres (29 mi), bringing the total number of CTrain stations in Calgary from 53 to 82.
Like the Red Line and Blue Line, the Green Line will be constructed in phases. The first phase to be built stretches from 16 Avenue N in the downtown to Shepard Station in the SE and will include two segments: the SE Segment and the Downtown Segment. The first segment to be constructed is the SE Segment, with 10 stations and 16 km of track from Event Centre/Grand Central Station to Shepard. The project is funded with three roughly equal contributions from the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta, and the Government of Canada.
The Green Line groundbreaking event took place on June 26, 2025, marking the official start of construction for Phase 1 of the project. The ceremony was held at the site of the future Shepard LRT station and Green Line's Maintenance and Storage Facility. Officials from the three funding partners—the city of Calgary, province of Alberta and Government of Canada—were present to mark this significant milestone.
Major construction was planned to begin in early 2021 but was delayed to April 2022 after Alberta's United Conservative provincial government failed to contribute the province's pledged portion of the line's funding. The government rebuked the project as a "line to nowhere", asserting that the City of Calgary did not have "any credible plan" despite nearly four decades of research and planning. This came after months of speculation from city officials, politicians, and journalists that the provincial government and others associated with the United Conservative Party were attempting to stifle or cancel the Green Line.
Due to the provincial government's actions, the City of Calgary temporarily paused the project's procurement though planning, pre-construction and public engagement continued through 2021. Delays persisted until the project received final approval from Alberta's provincial government on July 7, 2021, hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met privately with Jason Kenney in Calgary. This meant the project had full approval from all three orders of government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated "The money is there and the agreements are signed, so regardless of an election, the Green Line is going to go forward."
Construction of the Green Line officially began in April 2022 with PCL Construction selected as the construction management contractor for utility relocation work. The Green Line Board released the Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a proponent to construct Phase 1 on September 26, 2022. In April 2023, Green Line entered the Development Phase of the project and began the comprehensive design of the alignment. As of February 2026, Phase 1 is planned to consist of 12 stations running from 7 Avenue SW in downtown to Shepard in the south.