More money for less: Green Line LRT approval reaction remains mixed

Calgary city council has approved a revised Green Line LRT that is shorter and will cost much more.

Calgary city council has approved a revised Green Line LRT that is shorter and will cost much more.

"We've had enough delays. We've had enough hand-wringing," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

"Not getting this project means turning our back on connecting Calgarians."

For $6.248 billion, the line will run from Eau Claire to Lynnwood/Millican, five stops short of the original route to Shepard in the southeast.

"Look, I think it's fair to say that it was broadly $1 billion more, and $1 billion of funding that we don't have," said Green Line board chair Don Fairbairn.

The train will not run to Ogden, South Hill, Quarry Park, Douglas Glen or Shepard in its first phase.

The storage and maintenance facility, previously planned to be built in Shepard, will be built in Highfield instead.