New Green Line Committee has first meeting

Green Line update - Inaugural Green Line Committee

Today, the Green Line project team presented an update to the new Green Line Committee. The presentation included an update on the overall program, status of procurement, and shared with Committee a set of evaluation criteria that will be used to determine the Centre City alignment.

In terms of procurement, Committee members heard that the Request for Qualification (RFQ) for Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) was short-listed to four vendors. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for LRVs will be released in 2020.

The RFQ for Segment 1 (Ramsay to 126 Avenue S.E.) construction closed October 24, 2019. The project team is evaluating the responses and expect to confirm a shortlist of pre-qualified proponents by end of the year.

As part of the Program Update, Committee members heard that Administration is no longer recommending a tunnel under the Bow River and deep underground downtown stations as a way to reduce cost and project risks. No other decisions have been made in the Centre City. The project team is looking at a number of options to help bring the project within the $4.9 billion budget. A bridge crossing over the Bow River will help reduce cost and help bring the project closer to budget.

Additional planning and design work will be required to determine details on what this looks like after Council’s direction on the Centre City in January 2020. Pending Council’s direction in January, we will be better prepared to discuss with stakeholders what the next steps will be for planning and designing the bridge and the alignment in the Centre City.

The Green Line team remains committed to delivering a Stage 1 of the project within the $4.9 approved budget. The City is continuing conversation with our funding partners to better understand what the Province’s new funding schedule and resulting cash flow means for the Green Line project. In the meantime, the project team is evaluating the overall program and the Centre City to ensure the project is delivering the highest value system at the lowest lifecycle cost, including capital, operating and maintenance costs.

In January 2020, Administration will report back to Committee with recommendations from the Segment 2 Centre City route re-evaluation and program review.

Watch a video of the full presentation.

For the latest project news and opportunities to get involved, check back regularly at Calgary.ca/GreenLine. Follow the Green Line story on Twitter @yyctransport #GreenLineYYC or email greenline@calgary.ca for further questions.