Calgary's Green Line discussions focus on alignment

Premier Danielle Smith says she is continuing to meet with Mayor Jyoti Gondek about Calgary's Green Line project and her government remains committed to bringing the line all the way to Seton.

Premier Danielle Smith says she is continuing to meet with Mayor Jyoti Gondek about Calgary's Green Line project and her government remains committed to bringing the line all the way to Seton.

The premier spoke about the topic at a news conference about funding for energy technology in Leduc on Monday, saying that while she hasn't spoken with Gondek recently, discussions are still taking place.

"I know that (Transportation Minister) Devin Dreeshen met with her last week and we do have regular committee meetings scheduled every couple of weeks to get an update on the project," Smith told reporters.

She said the current challenge for the project has to do with the above-ground alignment.

"When we brought in AECOM, one of the things they had told us is they had to do the same thing in Austin," Smith said.

"(It was) a very expensive underground alignment at a cost of a billion dollars per kilometre. It just became over budget, so they had to re-engineer it above ground, either at-grade or elevated."

Smith said an elevated track costs about $300 million per kilometre while at-grade carries a price tag of approximately $100 million per kilometre.