Highlights from 2023, winter testing for trains and construction updates
Happy Holidays from the Green Line Team!
It has been an incredibly productive year on the Green Line LRT project. As we look back, we're proud of all that we have accomplished and the strides we are making towards delivering the largest infrastructure project in Calgary's history.
A few highlights from 2023 include:
- Selecting Bow Transit Connectors as our Development Partner and kicking off the Development Phase.
- Successfully negotiating a deal to acquire the land at Eau Claire Market for the future underground station.
- Completing the final design of the trains (Light Rail Vehicles) ahead of schedule.
- Starting construction on the 78 Avenue Project to make the area around the future Ogden station safer for vehicles and pedestrians.
- Demolishing the Lilydale factory in Ramsay to prep the area for Green Line construction.
As we look ahead, the upcoming year will be the most exciting to date as we begin main construction of stations, tracks, bridges, tunnels and more. Thanks for being part of the journey with us, and stay tuned for big things in 2024!
Some numbers from 2023...
60,000 metres of underground utility pipes were upgraded in Downtown and Beltline.
5,000 truck loads of fill were brought to 78 Avenue SE to build embankments.
We made 1,573 connections with local businesses along the Green Line.
92% of Calgarians believe the Green Line is important to the future of Calgary.
We attended 15 community events and spoke to thousands of Calgarians.
3 Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) car body shells were fabricated, tested and passed.
Green Line's LRVs will be winter-ready
How are light rail vehicles (LRVs) tested for extreme winter conditions? There are a variety of ways Green Line is preparing to ensure our trains are winter-ready, but perhaps the most interesting is the climate chamber test.
It's essentially a stress test for LRVs, which closely emulates real climate conditions. The first manufactured LRV will go inside an indoor climate chamber in Austria where humidity, temperature and other conditions can be adjusted. The temperature will be lowered to -40 degrees Celsius, to test:
- Insulation of the vehicle body
- Accumulation of ice and snow in the door areas
- Functionality of window wipers, windscreen heaters and doors
- The braking system in extreme cold and snow
Read the full article to see all the ways that we're making sure Green Line's LRVs can handle extreme cold and snow.
Updates on Green Line's active construction projects
Lilydale factory demolition (Ramsay)
Demolition of the Lilydale poultry factory began in November, marking an exciting new phase for both Green Line and the community of Ramsay. It's expected that the majority of the main structure will be pulled down by the end of December. Work on the site will still continue through January as the basement and foundation is removed, and all the materials are broken down, sorted, and removed from the site.
Utility Relocation Project (Downtown and Beltline)
In the Downtown and Beltline we’ve been relocating underground utilities to make way for the Green Line tunnel and stations. It’s been a very busy year with many accomplishments, and more work ahead next year.
Most of the work in the Beltline is now complete, with just a couple of projects left to finish in 2024. This year in the Beltline East area, Green Line and our third-party utility partners have relocated and upgraded more than 3,100 linear metres of utility infrastructure, across water, sanitary, storm, gas, and telecom networks.
We appreciate the support and patience of everyone who travels through, lives, or works in this area – we know the work has been disruptive. In 2024 the focus in the first half of the year will be on competing utility relocation work in the downtown core.
78 Avenue Project (Ogden)
Work is progressing on-schedule for the 78 Avenue Project, which will enhance mobility and pedestrian safety around the future Green Line tracks and station in Ogden. The first phase of the project involved constructing two diversion embankments: one at 78 Avenue S.E. and another at 72 Avenue S.E. This was completed in October.
In November, we began drilling a wall of intersecting, reinforced concrete columns into the new embankments. Once this work is complete, temporary rail tracks for CPKC trains will be installed on the new embankments. When the trains are moved to the temporary tracks, we can begin to excavate the existing embankments to create tunnels at 78 and 72 Avenues.
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