Regular transit service has resumed on the Red Line and pedestrian access onto Stampede Park from Macleod Trail has been restored.

“This is an exciting milestone in this important city-building project, bringing us closer to realizing our shared vision for a better integrated, more accessible CTrain station in The Culture + Entertainment District. As of today, Transit customers at Victoria Park/Stampede station are using the new track and platforms, and we are looking ahead to the final phases of construction on this critical connector,” said Clare LePan, CMLC’s Vice President of Communications and Strategic Partnerships. “We are grateful to Calgarians for their patience while we delivered this important phase of construction, to our partners at The City of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede, and to our project consultants and contractors for their diligence in planning and executing this carefully sequenced scope of work: PCL Construction, ISL Engineering, WSP, Platinum Engineering, and GEC Architecture.”

Over the course of nine days beginning late on Nov. 24, more than 100 crew worked 24 hours a day to:

·       Tie the new tracks in to the rest of the line

·       String overhead power lines to connect the new station to the existing network

·       Install new track signals at pedestrian crossings

·       Start demolition of the temporary platforms

·       Build temporary pedestrian access to the new station

“The switch was a significant undertaking, both in construction scope and in our operational response,” said Doug Morgan, The City of Calgary’s General Manager of Operational Services. “We implemented our city’s largest-ever replacement shuttle service to maintain transit service through the switch. We are grateful to teams at Transit, Mobility and across The City of Calgary for their dedication in keeping people moving through these nine days. And we sincerely thank Calgarians for their patience and understanding on transit and on the roads during this time.”

As a thank you to Calgarians for their patience during the switch, December monthly transit passes are available at a 25 per cent discount.

There is more construction still to be completed on the new station before it is substantially completed in concert with the opening of the BMO Centre expansion for Stampede 2024. Over the coming months, crews will:

·       Complete the pedestrian and vehicle track crossings at 14th Ave and 17th Ave.

·       Build planters and benches

·       Construct sidewalks

·       Plant trees

·       Finish installing the canopy cladding

·       Install permanent handrails, guardrails, lighting, digital screens and signage

·       Install shelters on the inbound platform

·       Build permanent pedestrian access to the outbound platform

As there has been throughout construction, there will be some ongoing lane closures on Macleod Trail daytime between rush hours and overnight through the coming months to enable continued work on the project. There will also be some continued overnight construction, though it is expected to be much quieter than the switch.

When complete, this critical connector will create a new gateway into Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District from 17 Ave – welcoming pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles across Macleod Trail for the first time in more than 40 years – and a new, more accessible and better integrated CTrain station. It’s an important infrastructure investment in revitalizing downtown Calgary’s east end, and will serve commuters, guests to the expanded BMO Centre and the new Calgary Event Centre, and the more than 8,000 additional residents who will call this District home when the master plan is built out.

About CMLC

Created and owned by the City of Calgary, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) exists to achieve the City’s objectives for urban densification and community renewal, infrastructure investment and placemaking. An entrepreneurial group of hands-on doers and placemakers, CMLC’s approach is rooted in community participation and designed to strengthen the connections between places, experiences and people. As the master developer behind Calgary’s East Village and new Culture + Entertainment District, CMLC is leading over $1 billion in city-building projects and is the project lead on pillar projects in Calgary including the Arts Commons Transformation and the BMO Centre Expansion. CMLC is delivering the 17th Ave SE Extension and Victoria Park/Stampede LRT Station Rebuild project on behalf of their partners at Calgary Transit and the Calgary Stampede. calgarymlc.ca