CALGARY — The Alberta government is proposing a reworked Green Line light rail transit route in Calgary that it says would serve more communities and save more than $1 billion.

The province contracted consulting firm AECOM in July to find alternatives to the city’s latest proposal, which would have involved a tunnel through downtown and run a drastically shorter distance than earlier planned.

Calgary city council voted to wind down the $6.2-billion project in September after the province said it would pull its $1.5-billion in funding without a major project overhaul.

The federal government has also committed $1.5 billion.

The Alberta government says based on the AECOM report, it is proposing a new Green Line alignment that would connect 7th Avenue downtown to a station at Shepard on the Calgary’s southeastern edge.

The province says it would save $1 billion by using elevated tracks downtown instead of a tunnel, and would connect to two other lines serving the northeast and northwest as well as a new NHL arena set to open in 2027.

“This alignment adds five more stops, will be 76 per cent longer and will serve 60 per cent more Calgarians — all within the same budget,” Alberta Transport Minister Devin Dreeshen said in a news release Friday.

“The ball is now in Calgary city council’s court to approve this alignment and to finally start construction on the Green Line in the new year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press