Escalating costs a concern for Calgary's Green Line LRT project, city says

Construction on Calgary’s Green Line LRT is well underway, but the megaproject is facing cost pressures.

City councillors spent the morning on Tuesday receiving an update on the cost of the project, but it took place behind closed doors.

The price tag for phase one is set at $5.5 billion, but city staff said estimates from contractors are all coming in higher than that.

The city has already spent more than $1.1 billion on the project so far, including on design, construction and engineering – with $109 million spent this year alone.

Demolition and utility work is ongoing in the Beltline and downtown.

The first new light rail vehicles are expected to arrive in Calgary at the end of 2027.

A June update from the city will inform the public about potential cost overruns.

Construction on the Green Line has been ongoing in Calgary for months. The LRT line is planned to run from Shepard in the southeast to Eau Claire, including a tunnel under downtown.

Alberta’s transportation minister recently sent a letter to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek saying the province won’t provide additional funding to the project.

In his letter, Devin Dreeshen affirmed the province's $1.53-billion commitment to the Green Line but said there will be nothing for phase one beyond that.

An exact date of the Green Line's first phase completion hasn't been set, but it's estimated it will be sometime around 2030.