A new study warns that an elevated alignment for Calgary's Green Line LRT along 10th Avenue in the Beltline would be "unprecedented" globally. The independent report, commissioned by the Victoria Park BIA and released Thursday, examines potential impacts of the elevated alignment through Victoria Park and downtown Calgary.
Narrow Corridor Raises Concerns
Transit researcher Dr. Willem Klumpenhouwer, the study's author, said he searched worldwide for comparable elevated rail projects but found none with a corridor as narrow as 10th Avenue, which is roughly 20 metres wide. By contrast, similar projects in Vancouver, Tokyo, The Hague, and Bangkok were built within corridors 30 to 45 metres wide.
"I scoured the earth for various examples of elevated alignments ... and I could not find one that had a corridor as narrow as 10th Avenue," Klumpenhouwer said. "The corridor on 10th Avenue with an elevated alignment is unprecedented."
Limited Predictability for Commercial Impacts
The report stops short of recommending either an elevated or underground alignment but concludes that the lack of comparable examples limits the ability to reliably predict long-term commercial impacts. It notes that cities often choose underground alignments in dense urban areas, citing Vancouver's SkyTrain as an example.
David Low, executive director of the Victoria Park BIA, said the study underscores the need to evaluate transportation outcomes alongside impacts on businesses and residents. He described the elevated alignment as an "existential threat" to the BIA, noting unprecedented fear among local businesses.
"An elevated alignment down 10th Avenue represented one of the largest existential threats to the Victoria Park BIA ever," Low said. "The amount of consternation that it caused amongst the business community ... I've never seen it in my 19 years here."
Critical Gaps Need Examination
Low said the findings reveal "critical gaps" that should be examined before detailed planning proceeds. The BIA commissioned the report to support evidence-based decision-making after local businesses raised concerns about the elevated alignment.
"Businesses deserve certainty, communities deserve transparency, and decision-makers deserve the information necessary to fully understand the long-term trade-offs associated with an elevated rail alignment," Low said.
