Summary#

Calgary City Council approved Option 3 for the Green Line’s downtown segment: a street-level alignment on 10 Avenue and 2 Street SW. It directed City staff to advance planning, design and procurement for that option, and to stop work on Option 1, the elevated alignment on 10 Avenue and 2 Street SW. City staff say the goal is to move the project forward while responding to downtown concerns and staying within the available funding envelope.

• City staff must bring budget requests for planning and design of the southeast extension to Seton and the north corridor to Council during the 2027–2030 budget process. This decision does not approve those budgets.
• City staff must report by November 3 on estimated costs to build out the Max Green Bus Rapid Transit line from Keystone Hills to downtown, including supporting transit assets and the costs of each phase. They must also report on planning for a downtown BRT loop or station.
• City staff must develop a 10 Avenue public realm, streetscape and mobility plan covering vehicles, parking, walking and wheeling, and connections to the Green Line, communities north of the CPKC corridor and the Beltline. A scoping report is due by Q1 2027, and updates must appear in quarterly Green Line reports.
• Council kept a confidential attachment confidential until the transaction is closed, with a review date of December 3, 2039.

What it means for you#

• Transit riders: The selected downtown alignment is street-level and includes a Beltline Station. This decision advances planning and procurement; it does not itself set a construction date or start passenger service.
• People and businesses downtown and in the Beltline: City staff will plan the selected route in more detail and must prepare the 10 Avenue mobility and streetscape plan. The decision does not settle the details of access, traffic, parking or street design.
• People in the southeast and north of the city: City staff must bring forward budget requests for further planning and design. The decision does not fund or approve construction of either extension.
• Taxpayers: The decision directs staff to prepare estimates and budget requests, but does not approve new spending amounts.

Money#

City staff report no anticipated financial impact from this decision itself, but it requires future cost estimates and budget requests; the total cost of the selected option is not given.

• City staff estimated the unselected elevated Option 1 could cost $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion, about $1 billion above its approved budget. That estimate does not establish the cost of Option 3.
• No publicly available information on the selected option’s total capital cost is included in the supplied material.
• The report lists $2,240,367,751 in committed Phase 1 costs and $1,827,802,425 spent as of July 31, 2026.

What is unclear#

• The detailed design, construction schedule and total cost for Option 3 are not provided.
• The decision does not set the budgets for the Seton extension, north corridor planning or BRT build-out. Council would consider later budget requests.
• The plan’s final design and how it will address specific concerns about business access, traffic, parking and pedestrian safety remain to be worked out.
• The decision advances downtown planning and procurement, but does not specify the future route or timing for extending the Green Line farther north through downtown.

Case for#

• City staff say Option 3 fits the available funding envelope, includes a Beltline Station and avoids elevated infrastructure through the Beltline and downtown.
• City staff say a street-level route may better address concerns about public space, pedestrian access and business visibility than elevated options.
• The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good supported reaching at least the Beltline and continuing work toward a north-south Green Line, while also calling for BRT service in north Calgary.
• The decision advances the downtown segment while requiring more planning for both the southeast extension and north corridor.

Case against#

• City staff say Option 3 is expected to have lower ridership than Option 1, and nominally lower ridership than Option 2.
• BOMA Calgary and other business groups said Option 3 needs more study on property access, traffic near Macleod Trail and the Stampede area, and connections from the 2 Street station to downtown.
• The Beltline Neighbourhoods Association said the surface option would need meaningful investment, including pedestrian underpasses and a better streetscape; it preferred an underground route.
• The LRT on the Green Foundation warned that the plan did not explicitly require continued planning for a continuous route through downtown to the north. Councillors Dhaliwal and Wyness voted against Council’s decision; the supplied material does not state their reasons.