Throughout the years, Calgary Transit has been making plans and adjustments to the transit system in order to advance and make it better for all Calgarians.
Over 250,000 Calgarians use transit per weekday whether it’s for going to school, work, or for personal use, many people rely on Calgary Transit to get them from one place to another. With the closure of Victoria Park/Stampede to Chinook station many people who travel that route are left to take the shuttle buses assigned to the closure or find a new way to get to where they need to be.
In October of 2022, the city of Calgary opened a temporary track and platform at Victoria Park/Stampede Station to maintain service through construction, now the city is preparing to switch to the permanent track and station. This significant closure of this plan closes a part of the south leg of the red lane, lane closures on the northbound Macleod Trail, and replacement shuttle services over a nine-day period. This project for advancing Calgary’s Transit System is to create a more modern, accessible, and integrated Train Station at Victoria Park/Stampede Station.
On November 24 and continuing until the morning of December 4 the construction and closure of Victoria Park/Stampede station to Chinook will begin. Calgary Transit’s largest-ever replacement shuttle service operation will be in place to get Calgarians to where they need to be. Transit officials are encouraging people who use transit and specifically travel on these routes to expect heftier travel times and plan ahead amid the construction.
Transit relations specialist for Calgary Transit, Amanda Bradley said the closure and redesign of Victoria Park/Stampede station has been in the works for several years and stated how transit is planning to accommodate Calgarians who travel that route.
So the redline itself will have replacement shuttles that will operate between each of those stations, so they’ll replace that Ctrain service. We will also have express routes from Heritage and Anderson stations. It will take people directly downtown so that they can make their connections there and then we have another of different detours and other parking and driving options for people to make their way around the city.
With the ongoing adjustments to make transit better for all Calgarians and advance the system, many are left to wonder if this construction will advance transit or if it’s another roadblock in the city’s plan to make the system better for all. Some individuals have found the closure to be confusing as they need to take replacement shuttles in order to get to their selected destinations. Chinmay Shah, a transit user said he finds the closures to be difficult as it takes longer to get from place to place amid the construction.
Knowing that from yesterday there have been some changes in the road but not knowing exactly what bus or which train to take and yesterday itself I got late to reach my residence by one hour.
Calgarians who rely on the train to get them from one place to another have found the partial red line CTrain closure to be an inconvenience as they need to plan ahead and may have to take different routes to get to their destination. This closure won’t last too long as transit users will be able to board and exit the Train from the new station when transit service from the Victoria Park/Stampede station resumes on the morning of December 4, officials for the City of Calgary stated.
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