Editing CTrain (section)

== Future plans ==
[[File:Calgary Rapid Transit Network Map, CTrain Highlighted.png|thumb|Proposed route extensions and Green Line (North-Central and Southeast LRT)]]
In 2011, Calgary City Council directed that a long term Calgary Transit Plan be created, taking into account the overall Calgary Transportation Plan.<ref name=RouteAhead>{{cite web |url=https://www.calgarytransit.com/plans-projects/plans |title=RouteAhead: A Strategic Plan for Transit in Calgary |work=RouteAhead Planning Committee |publisher=[[Calgary Transit]] |date=2012-12-07 |access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref><ref name=RouteAheadNews>{{Cite news |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/calgary+transit+releases+routeahead+plan/7668659/story.html |title=Calgary Transit releases RouteAhead plan |last=Markusoff |first=Jason |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=2012-12-07 |access-date=2017-09-13}}</ref>  A steering committee and project team, comprising some Council members, City planning staff, independent business people and Calgary Transit staff, after detailed scenario planning and extensive public consultation, produced the December 2012 "RouteAhead: A Strategic Plan for Transit in Calgary".<ref name=RouteAhead /><ref name=RouteAheadNews />  A 30-year roadmap for public transit in Calgary, RouteAhead includes a long-term vision for the CTrain system.  The RouteAhead plan was submitted to Council and approved in early 2013.<ref name=RouteAheadNews />

=== Existing Lines ===
For the Red Line, in its 30-year RouteAhead plan, the South line may be extended another 3.5&nbsp;km to a possible 210 Avenue SW station.<ref>[http://www.routeahead.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Route-Ahead-Section-4.pdf RouteAhead Section 4; Page 53] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224003209/http://www.routeahead.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Route-Ahead-Section-4.pdf |date=December 24, 2012 }}</ref>

For the Blue Line, from the same plan, there are more possible extensions to the northeast to either [[Calgary International Airport]] (via a spur line),<ref name="Extension">{{cite news| url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Airport+link+moves+list+transit+year+priorities/7262588/story.html| title=Airport link moves up on list of transit's 30-year priorities| work=[[Calgary Herald]]| first=Jason| last=Markusoff| date=October 1, 2012| access-date=2012-10-15| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924005548/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Airport+link+moves+list+transit+year+priorities/7262588/story.html| archive-date=September 24, 2012| df=mdy-all}}</ref> or to 128 Avenue NE, or to have both.<ref name="Future">{{cite news| url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/Calgary+Transit+presents+council+with+billion+blueprint/7256350/story.html| title=Calgary Transit presents council with $8-billion blueprint for future| work=[[Calgary Herald]]| first=Sherri| last=Zickefoose| date=October 1, 2012| access-date=2012-10-15| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106234815/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Calgary+Transit+presents+council+with+billion+blueprint/7256350/story.html| archive-date=November 6, 2012| df=mdy-all}}</ref> There is also a long-term plan in RouteAhead that says the Blue Line will be extended past Stony Trail.

There are plans to build an additional line to the southeast from the city centre. Calgary Transit has drafted a plan for a transit-only right-of-way, known as the SETWAY (South East Transit Way) for the interim.<ref name="calgarytransit.com">[http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/setway.html Calgary Transit: Southeast Transitway (SETWAY)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210075536/http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/setway.html |date=February 10, 2012 }}</ref> A second, northern line is to be planned beyond 2023 but the alignment is still pending.

As for a possible underground leg in downtown (under 8 Avenue South), the cost of the project will be at least C$800 million (in 2012 dollars), but its priority has been lowered because there is no funding available for it. However, the overall cost of this and other projects could be at least C$8 billion.<ref name="Extension" /><ref name="Future" />

=== Green Line ===
{{Main|Green Line (Calgary)}}
{{Green Line (Calgary)|inline=}}
This potential route may cross the downtown core at right angles to the downtown transit mall and connect two new legs: the Southeast leg and the North-Central leg. To avoid capacity constraints on the existing downtown transit mall, it was designed as a separate line, running underground for 4 stations through [[Downtown Calgary|downtown]] and the [[Beltline, Calgary|Beltline neighbourhood]]. It will feature a connection to the Red and Blue lines at [[7 Avenue SW station]].

The  Green Line may stretch from 16th Avenue North through the downtown core into the Southeast to the future Shepard Station at 126th Avenue SE. The $4.6 billion cost of the project will be shared in roughly equal portions between the federal government, the city of Calgary and the provincial government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/lrt-province-funding-announcement-ctrain-green-line-nenshi-mason-infrastructure-1.4192673|title=Alberta pledges $1.53B for Green Line LRT|date=July 6, 2017|website=CBC News Calgary|access-date=October 11, 2017}}</ref>

==== North leg ====
This leg of the Green Line would serve the residential communities of Country Hills, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, Panorama Hills, and other communities, possibly in the future extending as far as the nearby [[Airdrie, Alberta|City of Airdrie]]. The Green Line North, as it has been re-designated, will be a mix of grade level and underground infrastructure extending north from the downtown core along [[Centre Street (Calgary)|Centre Street North]].

In July 2015, the Canadian federal government committed to put $1.5 billion into funding the Green Line LRT or one-third of the project's $4.6 billion cost.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/tories-announce-1-5b-for-green-line-lrt-project| title=Tories announce $1.5B for Green Line LRT project| newspaper=[[Calgary Herald]]| first=Trevor| last=Howell| date=July 24, 2014| access-date=2015-09-28}}</ref> Discussions between the city of Calgary and the province continue with the goal of building the new light rail line instead of developing a BRT system as an interim measure.

In January, 2015, Calgary City Council approved the Green Line North (formerly known as North Central LRT), setting Centre Street N as the route. In December 2015, Council approved the planning report on Green Line funding, staging, and delivery. Actual completion dates will depend on delivery of promised federal and provincial government funding.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TI/Pages/Transit-projects/Green-line/timeline.aspx | title = Green Line Timeline | publisher = City of Calgary | access-date = May 2, 2015}}</ref>

Currently in the RouteAhead plan, there is also a long-term plan to extend the north leg to Airdrie. It's not exactly certain what route it would take from the current planned terminus.

==== Southeast leg ====
This leg 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{{by who|date=February 2025}} "Homesteads" region east of Deerfoot Trail{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}.

Eighteen stations have been planned for this route and the project is expected to be completely built by 2039.<ref name="SELRT">{{cite news| url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Southeast+cost+estimate+soars+billion/6936003/story.html| title=Southeast LRT cost estimate soars to $2.7 billion (Project won't be finished for 27 years, city report says)| work=[[Calgary Herald]]| first=Amanda| last=Stephenson| date=July 15, 2012| access-date=2012-07-15| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717132505/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Southeast+cost+estimate+soars+billion/6936003/story.html| archive-date=July 17, 2012| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Three of the proposed downtown stations are expected to be built underground,<ref>{{cite web |author=((Calgary Land Use Planning & Policy)) |title= City Centre Plan |version= Part 2, p. 79 |publisher= City of Calgary |year= 2007 |url= http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/centre_city/centre_city_plan_one.pdf |archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080411024536/http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/centre_city/centre_city_plan_one.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= April 11, 2008 |access-date= 2007-12-22 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> and the rest of the line will follow the 52 Street SE corridor from Douglasdale and McKenzie Towne to [[Auburn Bay, Calgary|Auburn Bay]] (south of Highway 22X) and then wind its way through Health Campus (adjacent to the southeast hospital) and [[Seton, Calgary|Seton]]. Unlike Routes 201 and 202, which use [[high-floor]] U2 and SD-160 LRVs, the eastern route is expected to employ [[low floor|low-floor]] LRVs,<ref>{{cite web |author= ((Calgary Land Use Planning & Policy)) |title= Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan |version= Part 2, pp. 85–86 |publisher= City of Calgary |year= 2007 |url= http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/centre_city/beltline/beltline_plan_two.pdf |archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080411024548/http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/centre_city/beltline/beltline_plan_two.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= April 11, 2008 |access-date= 2007-12-22 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> such as the [[Bombardier Flexity Outlook]] or the [[Siemens S700 and S70|Siemens S70]].

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, Shepard, Prestwick, [[McKenzie Towne]], Auburn Bay/Mahogany (at 52nd Street), Health Campus/Seton (the station likely will share the name of the hospital and expected to be completed by 2039),<ref name="SELRT" /> with further stations to the south expected in the future.<ref name=SELRT2004>{{cite web |author= Clifton ND Lea Consulting |title= Southeast LRT Functional Planning Study |publisher= City of Calgary |year= 2004 |version= Phase III – Glenmore Trail to Elbow River |url= http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/SE_LRT_Final_Report.pdf |access-date= 2007-12-22 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080411024519/http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/SE_LRT_Final_Report.pdf |archive-date= April 11, 2008 |df= mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author= Calgary Transit |title= Calgary LRT Network Plan |publisher= City of Calgary |year= 2008 |page= 8 |url= http://calgarytransit.com/pdf/ct_lrt_network_plan.pdf |access-date= 2009-01-01 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091229191733/http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/ct_lrt_network_plan.pdf |archive-date= December 29, 2009 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

Construction of the South East LRT would cost over C$2.7 billion over 27 years.<ref name="SELRT" /> Because there was no funding available, the city laid out plans to build a transit way for the South East BRT known as SETWAY. Open houses to explore the idea of a transit way for the South East occurred in the South East communities of Ramsay, Riverbend and McKenzie Towne in January 2012. Between 1999 and 2006 Calgary Transit conducted studies for the South East LRT to find ways to make improvements of overall transit use in the South East for short term while having LRT being the long-term goal.<ref name="calgarytransit.com" />

On December 3, 2016, it was announced that an additional C$250 million in additional funding was allocated in a joint venture by the Federal and Provincial Governments. This comes in line with a possible final cost estimate of the South East LRT to be announced in March 2017.
[[File:Calgary transit capital projects-1.png|thumb|300x300px|Capital transit projects for the future Calgary rapid transit network. Map based on LRT Network Plan (2008), BRT Network Plan (2011), Route Ahead Plan (2013), and other City documents.]]

=== Spur line to Calgary International Airport ===
Calgary Transit's C$8 billion, 30-year [http://www.routeahead.ca/ RouteAhead] plan, approved in 2013, includes a connection from downtown Calgary to [[Calgary International Airport]], which may take initial form as a Route 202 [[Branch line|spur line]].<ref name="Extension" /><ref name="Future" /> The [https://web.archive.org/web/20121107224123/http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TI/Pages/Road-projects/Airport-Trail-Tunnel.aspx Airport Trail road tunnel], which opened on May 25, 2014, was built with room to accommodate a future two-track CTrain [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2014/05/25/airport-tunnel-first-run-beneath-the-runway-video/ | title=Airport Tunnel: First run beneath the runway | newspaper=[[Calgary Herald]] | first=Jason| last=Markusoff | date=May 25, 2014 | access-date=2014-05-25}}</ref>

=== Future MAX (BRT) light rail conversion ===
RouteAhead currently suggests a long-term light rail (LRT) conversion of the MAX Purple BRT route.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RouteAhead - Calgary Transit's 30 Year Plan |url=https://pub-calgary.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=245498}}</ref>

=== Other future improvements ===
In late 2015, Calgary Transit completed upgrading its entire system to operate four-car trains instead of the original three-car trains. When enough new LRVs are delivered to lengthen all trains to four cars, this will increase the rush-hour capacity of the system by 33%. By 2023, Calgary Transit also plans to begin decommissioning some of the original [[Siemens-Duewag U2]]s (as of 2010 80 of the original 83 were in use, and nearing 29 years of service, by 2023 they will be 42 years old). Calgary Transit has ordered some 60 new [[Siemens S200]] LRV cars to replace 28 of the existing U2s in addition to lengthening many of the trains to four cars.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Markusoff |first1=Jason |title=Calgary Transit to buy 60 new LRT cars for $200M |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Calgary+Transit+spend+200M+train+cars/8898525/story.html |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=September 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913010810/https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Calgary+Transit+spend+200M+train+cars/8898525/story.html |archive-date=September 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/siemens_new_ctrains.html |title=Calgary Transit orders 60 new CTrain cars |date=September 11, 2013 |website=Calgary Transit |access-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012005816/http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/siemens_new_ctrains.html |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Calgary transit has also integrated a new mobile ticketing system which allows riders to buy CTrain and other Calgary Transit tickets and passes anytime from anywhere with the use of a smartphone.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Transit|first=Calgary|title=My Fare Mobile Ticketing System {{!}} Calgary Transit|url=http://www.calgarytransit.com/myfare|access-date=2020-07-01|website=www.calgarytransit.com|language=en}}</ref> This system, dubbed "My Fare" was rolled out at the end of July 2020, but faced issues at launch such as the incompatibility with Apple's iOS devices.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Calgary Transit 'My Fare' app not ready for Apple devices on launch day|url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-transit-my-fare-app-not-ready-for-apple-devices-on-launch-day|access-date=2020-07-01|website=Calgary Herald|language=en-CA}}</ref>

=== Further underground infrastructure ===
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 CTrain 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.<ref>{{cite web | author = Calgary Planning Department | title = City Hall Area Redevelopment Plan | version = p. 30 | publisher = City of Calgary | year = 1982 | url = http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/planning/pdf/city_hall_arp.pdf | archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080411024523/http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/planning/pdf/city_hall_arp.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 11, 2008 | access-date = December 22, 2007 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> 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 the Red Line entering downtown from the south, shortly before City Hall. However, after [[urban explorer]]s discovered the tunnel and visited it during a transit strike,{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} the city walled off the spur tunnel with concrete 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 Blue Line (Northeast/West) to use the existing 7th Avenue S surface infrastructure. The expanded Red Line (Northwest/South), now sharing 7th Avenue S with the Blue Line, 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).  Although Calgary City Council commissioned a functional study for the downtown metro component of the CTrain 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 cost of bringing the potential underground leg under 8 Avenue South could be at least C$800 million, according to Calgary Transit's 30-year [http://www.routeahead.ca/ RouteAhead] plan.<ref name="Extension" /><ref name="Future" />