Calgary Transit launches four-car CTrain service on Blue Line
The City of Calgary is pleased to announce it is launching four-car CTrain service on the Blue Line.
Preparations have been successfully completed to ensure the Blue Line has the traction power necessary to service the longer trains. There will be on average six four-car trains running on the Blue Line (69th Street-Saddletowne) every week day.
“Investments in public transit shorten commutes, decrease air pollution and allow Canadian to spend more time with their families,” says the Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “These increases to the city’s CTrain service will help Calgarians get where they need to be quicker and more efficiently.”
“The Government of Alberta is pleased to help make the Blue Line CTrain service even more accessible to make life better for Calgarians,” says Brian Mason, Alberta Minister of Transportation. “The CTrain is already among the best used LRT services anywhere in North America and we’re proud to make it an even more attractive option to get around the city.”
“Four-car train service on the Blue Line is a welcome addition to our public transit service. This is another great step toward serving citizens,” says Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Thanks to my colleagues at Calgary Transit who have worked hard behind the scenes to allow us to add four-car trains on the Blue Line.”
Four-car trains were introduced in late 2015 on the Red Line, which has nearly double the ridership than on the Blue Line and had enough traction power to accommodate four-car trains. The longer trains carry an additional 200 customers per trip – a major improvement alleviating overcrowding on some CTrains. With the capacity to carry 800 passengers per trip, four-car trains are providing more comfort for customers, especially during rush hour.
The Government of Alberta provided $200 million for the 63 new CTrain cars – $133 million from a Green Transit Incentives Program (GreenTRIP) grant and $67 million from a Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant. The Government of Alberta also provided $24 million in GreenTRIP funding and $20.2 million in MSI funding for traction power upgrades across the entire CTrain system to power the longer trains.
Calgary used $22.3 million of its Gas Tax Fund (GTF) allocation for NE Station Refurbishment, which also includes expanding the platforms on the Blue Line to four-car train lengths.
Calgary’s CTrain system carries about 285,000 people every weekday making it one of the most successful light rail transit system (LRT) in North America.
Calgary Transit is committed to improving the customer experience. Running the longer trains is part of our Customer Commitment to provide safe, reliable, and easy-to-use transit.