Province renews financial support for the Green Line LRT project in Calgary

Hope for the completion of Calgary’s Green Line LRT has been renewed, with the Alberta government announcing its recommitment to funding the project.

In a joint statement, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen confirmed that work will resume on extending the line from 4 Street SE to Shepard in southeast Calgary. The province’s $1.53 billion funding commitment is now back in place to support the continuation.

Both parties emphasized that this recommitment will preserve more than 700 jobs and maintain the financial investments made by all partners.

“The recommitment from the province means the three original funding partners are back at the table,” Gondek said, adding that the city is still waiting to see what the new downtown alignment will look like.

AECOM, on behalf of the province, is currently revising the downtown route. The new alignment will either be at-grade or elevated and will connect to Calgary's Red and Blue Lines, the event centre, and southeast communities. The city is assisting in the review.

“We are examining whether the design work aligns with what is expected from AECOM’s proposed route,” Gondek explained, noting that ongoing discussions between city officials, contractors, and the province can now continue.

Dreeshen highlighted his involvement in working group meetings alongside Gondek and Premier Danielle Smith to ensure the Green Line is built properly. He also noted that halting the project entirely would force Calgary to start over, causing years of delays.

“If the Green Line was to be wound down, the city would have to start from scratch,” Dreeshen said. “It’s a positive step that the city wants to work with the province.”

This development comes after a tumultuous period in which the province had withdrawn its financial support for the project. Calgary’s council had voted 10-5 in mid-September to wind down the $2.1 billion project, which could have led to over 1,000 job losses.

Gondek acknowledged the shift, stating, “We continue to wind down the Green Line project as we knew it. This is a new project.”

Initially, the city asked the province to take over the project after provincial funding was withdrawn, but Alberta refused, insisting on a return to the original alignment. The province had previously criticized the shrinking size of the project while its costs had surged to over $6.2 billion. City officials warned that pausing the project would cost up to $30 million per month.

NDP leader Naheed Nenshi accused the province of creating unnecessary turmoil. “Minister Dreeshen assured workers their jobs were safe in August, then said they’d lose them in September, and now they’re okay until Christmas,” Nenshi said in a statement, warning that challenges remain in extending the Green Line downtown and to North Calgary.