Calgary Transit is the public transit agency which is owned and operated by the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 2019, an estimated 106.5 million passengers boarded approximately 1,155 Calgary Transit vehicles. It operates light metro (LRT), urban tramway (in the downtown free-fare zone), bus rapid transit (BRT), para-transit, and regular bus services. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 144,385,200, or about per weekday as of .
History
What would eventually become Calgary Transit began as the Calgary Street Railway on July 5, 1909, with twelve electric streetcars serving what was at the time a city of 30,000. This streetcar service expanded throughout the next thirty years (including the Depression) until 1946, when the company was renamed to Calgary Transit System as electric trolleybus vehicles began replacing the local streetcars. Eventually the electric trolley lines were phased out together — to be replaced by diesel buses. In 1972, CTS assumed its current name of Calgary Transit.
Between the early 1970s and 2000, Calgary Transit had a three tier bus service. Standard bus routes were identified with white bus stop signs. Blue Arrow bus routes, marked by blue signs, provided limited stops, and all day service to suburban neighbourhoods from the city centre. Express service was indicated with red signs and provided extremely limited bus service to the far reaches of the city during peak hours only. These tiers have been slowly phased out, since Calgary Transit began expanding CTrain lines and capacity, and implementing BRT service. The last Blue Arrow route was cancelled in December, 2019. Express routes now appear side by side on the same signs as regular routes. MAX routes appear on a separate white and grey sign, while non-MAX BRT lines (routes 300, 301, 302, and 305) appear on red and white signs.
In 2012, Calgary Transit planners presented mayor Naheed Nenshi's council with a tentative 30-year plan 'RouteAhead' to enhance the capacities of Calgary Transit.
On December 13, 2012, Craig Hardy, became the one hundred millionth rider of the year. He received free transit for a year and was celebrated by mayor Nenshi.
CTrain light rail system
On May 25, 1981, Calgary Transit became one of the first transit systems in North America (behind Edmonton LRT which opened in 1978) to operate a light rail system — the CTrain, on which construction had begun in 1978. The original line (referred to internally as the Red Line, and externally as Route 201) ran from Anderson station (just north of Anderson Road in the south end of the city) to 8th St SW in Downtown Calgary.
On April 27, 1985, a northeastern-bound line (Blue Line/Route 202) was opened, running from 8th St SW to Whitehorn station (just south of the intersection of McKnight Boulevard and 36th Street in the northeastern quadrant of the city), and on September 4, 1987, a northwestern-bound line (C-Line / part of Route 201) was opened in time for the 1988 Winter Olympics, running from downtown to University station (directly east of the University of Calgary campus, between 24th and 32nd Avenue on Crowchild Trail).
On September 3, 1990, a 1 km extension of the northwest line to Brentwood station (south of Brisebois Drive on Crowchild Trail) was opened; on October 9, 2001, two new stations — Canyon Meadows station (north of Canyon Meadows Drive and west of Macleod Trail) and Fish Creek–Lacombe station (south of Bannister Road and west of Macleod Trail) were added to the south line; on December 15, 2003, Dalhousie station (south of 53rd Street in the median of Crowchild Trail) was added to the northwestern line.
On June 28, 2004, two new stations for the south line opened: Shawnessy station (south of a brand new interchange at Macleod Trail and Shawnessy Boulevard) and Somerset–Bridlewood station (south of 162nd Avenue and just north of Shawville Gate).
On December 17, 2007, an extension was made to the Route 202 northeast line (first extension ever on the history of the line) from Whitehorn to the new McKnight–Westwinds station.
On June 15, 2009, Crowfoot station was added on the northwest line located directly west of Crowfoot Town Centre in the median of Crowchild Trail.
On August 27, 2012, Martindale and Saddletowne stations were added to the northeast line, bringing the total number of stations on this line to 10.
On December 10, 2012, the West LRT opened, with six new stations and Downtown West–Kerby station in downtown. Since it is Calgary's newest LRT line in 25 years, it is an extension of Route 202 (Blue Line). After this opening, the CTrain system's total length is now long.
Future extensions include the North Central line and the Southeast line (together running as the Green Line) running from north of North Pointe Bus Terminal, down Centre Street, through downtown, into the communities of Ogden, Douglasdale and McKenzie in the southeastern portion of the city, finally ending at the South Health Campus in Seton. Phase one of the North Central Line will travel from Eau Claire downtown to Shepard in the SE. This is seen as the most complex portion of the line, requiring tunneling through downtown as well as a large elevated portion. Construction started in 2018 on works to enable future rail construction.
On July 18, 2007, Calgary Transit officially unveiled a new red and white livery for its CTrain, articulated buses and every new bus or train coming into the system.
On August 27, 2008, a train en route to the Somerset station collided with a construction crane in between the Dalhousie and Brentwood stations. Six were injured in the accident, including one child.
On February 18, 2009, Calgary Transit celebrated the 1,000,000,000th rider, randomly selecting a passenger, Shelly Xiao during a ceremony at the 1 Street SW CTrain station.
Bus rapid transit and future
On August 30, 2004, Calgary Transit opened a bus rapid transit line to operate future CTrain routes (the D-Line and an as-yet unplanned northbound line), using conventional buses until articulated buses entered service on June 25, 2007. The BRT system consisted of a single route, Route 301, serving the northern and western parts of the city. A subsequent route, Route 305, was added in 2008, serving the Bowness and 17th Avenue East corridors. A third route, Route 302, entered service on August 31, 2009, along a proposed southeast LRT corridor.
The BRT is considered to be the successor to the Blue Arrow service introduced to the 1970s: both were a series of limited-stop routes that were to be intended to be replaced by LRT service in the future — however, the Blue Arrow service was never a true BRT (limited stop service, stopping at designated blue bus stop signs, was its only distinctive feature), the modern BRT includes priority at traffic signals, enhanced passenger waiting areas and offers a shorter travel time to the downtown with greater capacity articulated buses. The Blue Arrow name all but disappeared in 2000 in order to unify all bus stops under one common scheme, but certain Blue Arrow routes are still in service to this day. In fact, Route 305 replaces a Blue Arrow route (Route 105).
On September 28, 2009, Council approved the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP), fulfilling Council's priorities of "a city that moves." The CTP identified over 20 corridors that would serve as the city's future Primary Transit Network. These corridors laid the foundations of Calgary Transit's future BRT network. Preliminary functional studies were undertaken – specifically for 17 Avenue SE (2010) and the Southwest Transitway (2011) – to explore the feasibility of major transit projects for the near future. On January 11, 2011, Council approved the Bus Rapid Transit Network Plan, which outlined 11 BRT projects that the City plans to pursue in the short, medium, and long terms respectively.These plans included the introduction of 9 new BRT routes: the Airport BRT (short-long term), which would connect the Downtown Core with Calgary International Airport; the Southwest Transitway BRT (short-medium term), which would connect the Downtown Core with Mount Royal University (MRU) and Woodbine; the Southwest Crosstown BRT (short-medium term), which would connect Westbrook Station with MRU and Quarry Park; the North Crosstown BRT (medium term), which would connect Saddletowne Station with 16 Avenue N and the University of Calgary; the 17 Avenue SE Transitway BRT (medium-long term), which would connect the Downtown Core, Inglewood, 17 Avenue SE, towards the East City Limits; the 52 Street E BRT (medium term), which would connect Saddletowne and South Health Campus through the Southeast Industrial Area; the Sage Hill BRT (long term), which would connect Brentwood Station with the Sage Hill Transit Hub using the Shaganappi HOV; the 162 Avenue S BRT (long term), which would connect Somerset-Bridlewood Station with Providence; and the Southeast Crosstown BRT (long term), which would connect Somerset-Bridlewood Station with South Health Campus through Marquis of Lorne Trail. The plans also included enhancements of existing routes 301, 302, and 305.
The Airport BRT was actualised on July 27, 2011, with Route 300. This line was introduced after Calgary's Mayor promised to make the airport more accessible via public transit. On March 12, 2012, BRT service was cut significantly in Calgary. The 302 now runs with shuttle buses during off peak hours and weekends. The 305 does not run on weekends at all. These are both due to low ridership. The Southwest Crosstown BRT was actualised on December 10, 2012, with the Route 306. This route runs from Westbrook Station to Heritage Station, connecting MRU and Rockyview Hospital.
In December 2012, Council approved the RouteAhead Plan, which outlined the major transit projects the city would pursue for the next 30 years. RouteAhead identified the BRT routes Southwest Transitway, North Crosstown, Southwest Crosstown, 17 Avenue SE, 52 Street E, and Sage Hill (called Shaganappi HOV) as the key priorities for the city.
Plans not included in RouteAhead – like the 162 Avenue S BRT and the conversions of Route 300 and the 17 Avenue SE BRT into a LRT – were identified as projects to be conducted beyond the 30-year RouteAhead timeframe. RouteAhead also foreshadowed the plan of a new BRT route: the North Regional Context Study/144 Avenue N BRT (long term), which would connect Tuscany Station with the planned Stoney Station (Blue Line northeast extension), passing through communities north of 144 Avenue North and CrossIron Mills.