Planning underway for future north-central LRT line

Planning is underway for the future north-central LRT line, although there is still no timeline for when the line might be built.

Open houses will be held in June regarding potential routes for the north-central line. Transit planners say the proposed route which runs north from Memorial Drive along the Nose Creek Valley could be changeddepending on the results of the consultations.

"In order to really compare what's going to happen next, we need a good plan for southeast and for north-central LRT, so this is really about a bit of catch-up for north-central and making sure we do have the right plan," said Jen Malzer, a transportation planner with Calgary Transit.

Officials plan to ask people whether a Centre Street or Edmonton Trail route would be more viable.

"These open houses are to listen to what's important in the communities, how should the LRT serve these residents," said Malzer.

There are concerns the Nose Creek route might not be as heavily used because of the area's population size compared to other parts of the city.

Calgary Transit says it hopes to put a new preferred option before city council by the end of 2014; however, even once a preferred route is chosen there is still the question of how it will be paid for.

Officials need to find more than a billion dollars to fund the construction.