Alignment & route timeline
Where the Green Line goes — in order, from the first 1983 concept to today’s 17.2 km / 12-station Phase 1. This is the route counterpart to the cost & funding timeline; it carries no dollar figures, only the corridor and scope decisions. Every row is primary-verified; a per-row chip appears only where a figure would rest on a press carrier or a contested claim.
- 1983Southeast corridor (concept only)
Southeast LRT conceptual plans begin
First conceptual plans for a Southeast LRT — the southern root of today's Green Line. No alignment committed.
- May 2011North-central corridor — Nose Creek / Edmonton Trail / Centre Street N. under study
North Central LRT route planning begins
Public engagement opens on three competing north-central corridors; the northern root of the Green Line.
- Jan 12, 2015Centre Street N. / Harvest Hills Blvd.
Council approves the Green Line North route
Council selects Centre Street North / Harvest Hills Blvd. as the route for Green Line North (formerly North Central LRT).
- Dec 2015160 Avenue N. ⟷ Seton (full-line vision)
North and Southeast lines merged into one Green Line Program
The separate North-Central and Southeast LRT projects are combined into a single Green Line LRT Program spanning the full ~46 km vision.
scope: ~46 km full-line vision
- Jun 2017160 Avenue N. ⟷ Seton; downtown via a 12 Avenue S. tunnel
Council approves the full alignment + a downtown tunnel
Council approves the Green Line alignment and stations (160 Avenue N. to Seton); the downtown crossing is a 12 Avenue S. tunnel, and the selected Stage 1 runs 16 Avenue N. to Shepard 'with a tunnel under the Bow River and through the Downtown.'
scope: full-line alignment approved; Stage 1 = 16 Avenue N. ⟷ Shepard
- Jun 201916 Avenue N. ⟷ Shepard (approved Stage 1, under review)
Downtown / Segment 2 alignment sent back for redesign
The Green Line team advises Council it must re-evaluate the Segment 2 alignment 'for reasons related to construction risk, user experience associated with deep underground stations and the Program's capital cost'; Administration reports the approved Stage 1 alignment 'could not be delivered within the approved funding.'
- Jun 202016 Avenue N. ⟷ Shepard (revised Stage 1)
Council approves the revised Stage 1 — river tunnel replaced with a bridge
Revised Stage 1: 'surface running on Centre Street north of the Bow River to a new bridge over the river and shallower Downtown tunnels and stations in an underground alignment on 11 Avenue S.' The deep river tunnel is replaced by a bridge and the downtown tunnel is made shallower.
scope: 20 km of LRT track; 15 stations; 2½ km Centre City tunnel (Eau Claire → 4 Street SE); 1.8 km elevated track; ten bridges
- Jul 30, 2024Eau Claire ⟷ Lynnwood/Millican (core); southern leg to Shepard and the Centre Street N. leg deferred
Council shortens the line to 'Building the Core' (EC2024-0871)
Council confirms 'direction to phase construction by "Building the Core" from Eau Claire to Lynnwood/Millican as set out in EC2024-0871' — a shorter line with fewer stations. Two alignment/station-location options remain for the 4 Street S.E. station, 'one option will be chosen by the Green Line Board.'
scope: shortened core; downtown crossing still a tunneled alignment at this point
- Sep 3, 2024(downtown crossing in dispute)
Province withdraws funding, citing the downtown tunnel
Alberta withdraws its Phase 1 funding 'citing concerns with the proposed tunnel under downtown and the reduced benefits' — putting the downtown alignment, not just the budget, at the centre of the dispute.
- Oct 10, 2024(downtown crossing reopened to at-grade / elevated study)
Continuation agreement; downtown alignment reopened
City and Province announce 'an agreement had been reached to continue with some aspects of the Green Line LRT project,' stepping back from the September wind-down; the Province has it study at-grade / elevated downtown alternatives to the tunnel.
- Dec 18, 2024Downtown: at-grade / elevated connection east of the Elbow River to Shepard (replacing the tunnel)
AECOM Alternative Alignments Assessment — tunnel dropped, elevated options
AECOM assesses 'feasible downtown at-grade or elevated Green Line connections … to replace the … previously preferred alignment tunnel option.' Eight concepts are screened to three retained ELEVATED options, all running on 10 Avenue before turning north at 1 St SE, 2 St SW or 6 St SW. (Shared with the City 2024-12-13; publicly released 2024-12-18.) The preferred alignment (Figure 31) and every cost table (Tables 12–14) are REDACTED.
scope: three retained elevated downtown options — see aecom_options
- Jan 28, 2025SE Segment first (Shepard ⟷ Event Centre/Grand Central); downtown alignment routed to a Functional Plan
Council votes to build the SE Segment + start a Downtown Functional Plan
Council 'voted yes to starting construction on the SE Segment … and beginning work on a Functional Plan for the Downtown Segment' — decoupling the buildable southeast from the still-unresolved downtown crossing.
- Jun 26, 2025Shepard ⟷ future Event Centre/Grand Central Station
Groundbreaking on the SE Segment
Official groundbreaking; construction begins on the SE Segment — the first 16 km / 10 stations — while the downtown alignment stays in planning.
scope: SE Segment: 16 km / 10 stations
- May 29, 2026Shepard ⟷ 7 Avenue S.W.
Current Phase 1 + recommended downtown elevated alignment
Phase 1 is now Shepard to 7 Avenue S.W. — 17.2 km / 12 stations. The recommended downtown route is 'an elevated track running east-west on 10 Avenue S and north-south on 2 Street S.W.' (the AECOM 2 Street SW option) and is 'the starting point' for the Functional Plan; a Council recommendation is expected Q4 2026. Final alignment remains undecided.
scope: 17.2 km / 12 stations / 28 LRVs; SE Segment (16 km / 10 stations) under construction
The downtown crossing changed form multiple times
The downtown crossing is the variable that reshaped the whole project: it has changed FORM multiple times (deep tunnel → Bow River bridge + shallow tunnel → elevated), and it is the alignment element the Province cited when it pulled funding in September 2024. Each state below is primary-verified.
deep tunnel 2017 — approved Stage 1 · 1 of 5Deep tunnel
A tunnel under the Bow River and through the Downtown, with deep underground stations.
bridge + shallow tunnel 2020 — revised Stage 1 · 2 of 5Bow River bridge + shallow downtown tunnel
Surface running on Centre Street north of the Bow River to a NEW BRIDGE over the river, then shallower downtown tunnels and stations 'in an underground alignment on 11 Avenue S.' — a 2½ km Centre City tunnel from Eau Claire to 4 Street SE.
shallow tunnel no separate
plan view2024 July — 'Building the Core' · 3 of 5Still a downtown tunnel (shortened line)
The shortened Phase 1 kept a tunneled downtown: the City's December-2024 release describes its 'Shepard to Eau Claire tunneled alignment' at '60% design,' presented July 2024.
under study no separate
plan view2024 December — AECOM / Province · 4 of 5Tunnel dropped — at-grade / elevated alternatives
After the Province withdrew over the tunnel, AECOM assessed at-grade and elevated downtown alternatives; three ELEVATED options on 10 Avenue (turning north at 1 St SE, 2 St SW or 6 St SW) were retained. The preferred alignment and all cost figures were redacted.
elevated 2026 — current recommendation · 5 of 5Elevated
The recommended downtown route is an elevated track running east-west on 10 Avenue S and north-south on 2 Street S.W. (the AECOM 2 Street SW option) — the starting point for the Functional Plan; a Council recommendation is expected Q4 2026.
Each era pairs a schematic side-profile (how deep) with a plan view (where it ran). The plan maps are approximate — street centrelines and the Bow River are OpenStreetMap; the which-street routing for each era is primary-verified against the cited City source. The line runs along a named road — under it for a tunnel, over it for the elevated — shown sitting on a heavier grey road casing (e.g. under 11 Ave S). Solid = surface, bridge or elevated (visible); dashed = underground tunnel. The faint grey street grid is OpenStreetMap, for orientation only. The Bow crossing and the short downtown connector are drawn fainter, with no road casing — schematic indicators of a stated form, on no surveyed street, placing no station. No dollar figures. Basemap data © OpenStreetMap.
The three elevated options — and the costs you can't see
From the AECOM Alternative Alignments Assessment (Province of Alberta, issued 2024-12-18). Eight downtown concepts were screened; 'Option 2A' was modified — the elevated alignment was moved from originating on 11 Avenue to 10 Avenue (with 10 Avenue's electrical transmission lines relocated underground) to minimize traffic impacts — and became three retained ELEVATED options, each originating just east of the Elbow River, running 10 Avenue, then turning north at a distinct street. The report's preferred alignment (Figure 31) and its three cost tables (Tables 12–14) are REDACTED, so no public cost exists for any option (see redactions.json).
| Option | Alignment | Length | Stations | Guideway | Public cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Street SE Option | 10 Avenue and 1 Street SE | 1.8 km | 3 | Elevated | redacted |
| 2 Street SW Option | 10 Avenue and 2 Street SW | 2.9 km | 4 | Elevated | redacted |
| 6 Street SW Option | 10 Avenue and 6 Street SW | 4 km | 4 | Elevated | redacted |