LRT meeting to continue next week

The plans for the western leg of the Calgary LRT won't be finalized for at least another week after presentations from city administrators and the publicwent overtime Wednesday.

More than 150 people gathered for the public meeting, with issues raised ranging from the location of the tracks themselves to the location of the route.

Glendale resident Scott Moffatt said he feels the project is being rushed.

"I'm not sure why this major capital project is going forward at a time when there has been inadequate communication and consultation with key stakeholders, mainly the communities involved," he said.

Last week, the committee unveiled $20 million worth of changes to the eight-kilometre, six-station C-Train route, which will run along the Bow Trail, 33rd Street and 17th Avenue S.W.

The original $700-million plan approved by city council in November called for an elevated track running 22 metres over Crowchild Trail. Residents of Sunalta and Scarboro protested the plan, citing concerns over noise and the height of the track.

In response to those complaints, the city has mapped out a new route, pushing a portion of the tracks northward and moving a section down to street level, where it would run along the median of Bow Trail for several blocks. This plan would take longer to construct than the original.

Representatives of the community of Westgate asked that plans be changed to accommodate their concerns as well, calling on the city to put the train and station underground at 17th Avenue and 45th Street, which is also the home of several emergency services headquarters. This change would boost the cost of the project by at least $80 million.

Alternate route proposed

The Best West LRT group, meanwhile, offered the committee an alternate route that it says would cost $47 million less. The group wants the line to go around the communities of Sunalta and Scarboro, using railway land.

Its plan would see the line run along the Canadian Pacific Railway line along the river, west under the Crowchild and Bow Trail bridges and then up the bank to the Bow Trail at 24th. The group said Canadian Pacific would be willing to sell.

ACanadian Pacific spokesman told CBC News the company might be willing to sell air rights for an LRT flyover by the bus station, but it needs all of its other land. Best West LRT said it believed there would be ways to convinceCanadianPacificto help out.

But city general manager John Hubble saidCanadian Pacific"has been very clear with us" that they are not interested in selling. Hubble also said he didn't really hear anything new at the meeting, as the project has received lots of public input since it was first proposed in the 1980s.

"Understand that the work is not based upon one particular study, but based upon a body of knowledge that has been built up over the past 20 years," he said.

Hubble said he believes the current plan is the city's best choice.

The Transportation Committee heard more than seven hours of presentations before the public meeting adjourned. The committee will resume the debate on Tuesday.

It's estimated that 40,000 people will ride trains daily from the west side to downtown when the line opens. Council hopes to begin construction next year, with the route completed in 2012.