Meet the Calgarians building the Green Line – Shakti Sarai

Shakti Sarai began his role as Green Line’s Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Systems and Systems Integration Senior Manager in April of 2018.

“I look after the Light Rail Vehicles and anything that makes them move,” noted Shakti. “Systems integration, systems assurance, that’s all in my area. These are things like the traction power system, the signal systems and the communication systems that allow the trains to move safely along the network.”

Green Line has completed the procurement of the Urbos 100, to be supplied by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) – a Spanish manufacturer with over 100 years of design and production experience.

The Urbos 100 LRV came out as a top technical contender and the best choice for Calgarians with its host of safety and accessibility features.  

“The new LRVs are based on low-floor technology, which is a growing familiar technology both worldwide and in Canada,” said Shakti. “Low-floor technology reduces the height of the platforms and brings the floor of the LRVs down to a much lower level. This enhances the ability for us to integrate the LRV stations into the urban realm and it enhances the accessibility of those stations.”

To date, The City has purchased 28 Urbos 100 LRVs. The purchasing contract also includes the tools and support for operating and maintaining this new fleet and an option to purchase additional vehicles to support the long-term vision for Green Line LRT Program.