Province waiting on federal sign-off before Green Line construction beginson March 14, 2025 at 8:56 pm

Construction of the Green Line LRT could get underway this year, but the ball is in the federal government’s court, an Alberta cabinet minister said Friday. Read More

Transportation minister says the revised Green Line needs to be re-approved by Ottawa, which is contributing $1.5 billion to the project

Empty lot in Inglewood where there may be a future Inglewood Station for the Green Line — A Green Line development sign marks an empty lot in Ramsay. Gavin Young/Postmedia

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Construction of the Green Line LRT could get underway this year, but the ball is in the federal government’s court, an Alberta cabinet minister said Friday.

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At a news conference in Calgary, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen told reporters that before the province can issue tender packages for construction of the multibillion-dollar transit project, the federal government needs to sign off on the Green Line’s revised business case, which the Alberta government submitted last month.

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The business case outlines a $6.24-billion project that would include 10 stations and 16 kilometres of track, extending from Shepard in the southeast to 7th Avenue S.W. in the downtown.

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While the federal government previously pledged $1.5 billion toward the Green Line, that funding agreement was based on the city’s former alignment. That collapsed in September, after the province refused to support an alignment with tunnels through the downtown.

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Following months of tense back-and-forth between Dreeshen and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, the province agreed to restore its $1.5-billion contribution after city council voted in late January to advance the province’s preferred vision for the train, which calls for an elevated track through the core.

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But in order to resecure funding from Ottawa, Dreeshen said the Green Line requires ministerial approval from his federal counterpart, Nate Erskine-Smith, who on Friday was named to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet as housing, infrastructure and communities minister.

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If Erskine-Smith gives the business case a thumbs-up, Dreeshen said the next step is to work with the city on sending out tenders.

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“Finally, after a decade of delay, Calgarians will finally see tracks getting laid on the Green Line since it was first promised back in 2015,” Dreeshen said. “I think that’s a really important step. Hopefully, we get that approval from the federal government and we can see major construction on the Green Line happening later this year.”

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Asked if the province would be willing to cover any cost overruns on the Green Line that stem from the effect of U.S. tariffs, Dreeshen said the province’s 2025 budget has a pay-on-progress system for LRT projects, which differs from the “dedicated allotments” the province used to issue.

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“We’re hoping it incentivizes construction to get underway as soon as possible,” he said. “That can go one way or the other for the government. We could actually put more money out into the LRT projects if construction happens sooner.”