Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is urging the Alberta government to preserve pieces of the massive Green Line transit project now being dissolved.
City council voted this week to wind down the $6.2-billion project after Premier Danielle Smith's government said it would pull its $1.53 billion in funding — unless the city altered and extended the line's route.
Even as the Green Line Program is winding down, I know there are ways to ensure a carefully considered rail solution can be delivered to Calgarians in a timely & cost-effective manner. That is why I am asking the Province again to preserve good work that has already been done.👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/ajRJ8afq1G
— Jyoti Gondek (@JyotiGondek) September 20, 2024
The city estimates halting work will cost $850 million on top of $1.3 billion already spent on land acquisition, utility construction and new light-rail vehicles.
In a Thursday letter, Gondek asks the province to preserve some of the work already done to save taxpayer money and prevent delays in future work, including retaining the contract for new vehicles.
The province has hired an engineering firm to come up with new proposals by the end of the year.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says the Green Line was poorly engineered, and had faced escalating costs even as it's scope shrank.
