Calgary City Council will be asked to consider approximately $16.6 million in planning and design funding over the 2027–2030 budget cycle to prepare future extensions of the Green Line LRT to Seton in the southeast and into north Calgary.
According to a City administration report reviewed by LiveWire Calgary, about $4.1 million is proposed for the southeast extension from Shepard to Seton and $12.5 million for the north corridor. The report is scheduled to be presented for information at the Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 3, with funding decisions expected during Council's November budget deliberations.
These funds would pay for planning and design, not construction. Both extensions remain unfunded for building, and the City has not announced opening dates for either.
Five planned stations south of Shepard
The southeast extension would continue from the funded Phase 1 terminus at Shepard through five future stations: Prestwick, McKenzie Towne, Auburn Bay/Mahogany, South Health Campus Hospital and Seton.
The City's Green Line project website says much of the right-of-way and station land was reserved as southeast communities developed. Administration says planning on this part of the line is more advanced than in the north, helping explain why the proposed southeast planning allocation is smaller.
The extension would provide a direct rail connection to South Health Campus, a major medical facility that the City says serves hundreds of thousands of patients annually and is supported by more than 3,500 staff, physicians and volunteers.
Ward 12 Coun. Mike Jamieson told LiveWire Calgary that residents have been waiting more than a decade for the promised connection. He suggested the corridor's existing reservations could make a later extension easier to construct, but identified crossing Stoney Trail as one challenge requiring further assessment.
North corridor work would receive the larger allocation
The proposed $12.5 million for north Calgary is intended to advance broader corridor and program planning. The City's longer-term Green Line vision would eventually run north from downtown toward Beddington, North Pointe and 160 Avenue N., with a potential future connection toward Calgary International Airport.
The administration report identifies a broader scope of work in the north than on the comparatively advanced Shepard-to-Seton segment. An approved planning budget would not mean that individual northern station designs or construction dates were fixed.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas told LiveWire Calgary that extending south to Seton and north toward the Naato'siyinnipi business district, formerly called Aurora Business Park, could increase ridership and improve the long-term operating case for Green Line. Those benefits remain projections rather than measured outcomes.
What is already funded and under construction?
Green Line Phase 1 is separate from these proposed future extensions. It has approximately $6.248 billion in funding commitments from the municipal, provincial and federal governments and is planned to run from Shepard through southeast Calgary into downtown.
Construction is underway on the first southeast segment, which includes 16 kilometres of twin tracks and ten stations between Shepard and the Event Centre/Grand Central Station area. A further downtown segment is being advanced toward a surface station at 10 Avenue and 2 Street S.W., following Council's September decision.
The full long-term Green Line vision extends 46 kilometres between Seton and 160 Avenue N., but its northern and southern extensions beyond Phase 1 still depend on future funding decisions.
Next decision points
Council asked administration in September to calculate the planning requirements for future Green Line extensions. The November 3 Executive Committee discussion will receive the updated estimates and information about the MAX Green bus rapid transit program, while Council's November budget process will determine whether to allocate the proposed planning funds.
The administration report warns that delaying future-extension planning could increase costs or leave the City unprepared to pursue future funding opportunities. However, an approved design budget would not authorize the $4.1-million south allocation to be spent on construction, and no cost or opening date has yet been approved for the Shepard-to-Seton railway.
Original sources and project documents
City of Calgary Green Line: Expanding South, future station list and planning status.
City of Calgary Green Line: Expanding North, planned corridor and funding status.
City of Calgary Green Line: September downtown route decision and November 3 committee report-back.
City of Calgary Green Line: Project background, funded Phase 1, construction and funding figures.
City of Calgary Green Line: FAQ confirming future extensions remain unfunded for construction.