Calgary Transit rolled out the red carpet for its newest CTrain vehicles on Tuesday, as city officials unveiled the first new additions to the fleet in six years ahead of the busy Stampede season.
Three new C10 light rail vehicles (LRVs), or Mask LRVs, are expected to enter service as soon as Wednesday, joining the 69 other C9 LRVs already in service. This is only the beginning of the rollout, with 37 additional C10 LRVs expected to arrive over the next two-and-a-half years.
Ceremonial ribbon cutting marks milestone
Mayor Jeromy Farkas was in attendance at Tuesday’s ceremonial ribbon cutting, joining councillor colleagues as the first riders of the shiny new fleet. He said these new additions are a necessity with Calgary’s continued expansion, and will serve as a reminder of the city’s transformation over the past 40 years.
“We’ve experienced economic booms and challenging downturns and energy prices. We’ve welcomed tens of millions of visitors to our city to experience incredible events and festivals,” Farkas said. “It only makes sense that our transit system continues to grow and mature alongside the city and service.”
Modern amenities and accessibility improvements
Director of Calgary Transit Sharon Fleming said the new vehicles provide modern amenities that will make the CTrain more accessible, including cameras, digital display screens, improved speakers and heated floors.
“There’ll be lots of different customer improvements that I think will be quite noticeable,” Fleming said.
While the new vehicles outpace the old models, the C10 LRVs will remain compatible with the old vehicles. That means the old and new fleet can be interconnected to make three- or four-car trains, said Fleming.
Phasing out the historic U2 cars
The new vehicles also mark the gradual retirement of Calgary’s historic pink-and-blue striped U2 cars, which will be slowly phased out as the new C10 LRVs are commissioned. All 30 U2s are expected to be out of service by 2028.
“As much as so many Calgarians associate our CTrain system with the classic U2 trains, these new C10 train vehicles are better, more efficient and more comfortable,” Farkas said. “They’ll help to ensure that everyone who relies on Calgary Transit, whether it’s to get to work, school, the grocery store or to visit friends and family, has access to a system that is modern, effective, reliable and safe.”
Future rollout and branding review
Fleming said Calgary Transit is currently reviewing its branding, so there is still hope for the retro design to live on.
There is no specific timeline for when the remaining C10 LRVs will hit the tracks, but Fleming said several are already ready in Sacramento, where Calgary Transit sources its fleet from Siemens — it’s just a matter of transport and commissioning before Calgary riders can be welcomed aboard.
These vehicles will not be used for the future green line, as the C10 LRVs have a high-floor design intended for the red and blue lines.
