User:Kelapstick/Blue Line

The Blue Line, also known as Route 202 is a light rail transit (LRT) line in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Partnered with the Red Line, and future Green Line it makes up Calgary's CTrain network. Following its initial approval in 1976, the Red Line opened in 1981, with the first trains running on what is now the Blue Line in 1985.

Origin
The concept of a light rail transit system (LRT) was approved in 1976 by the City of Calgary, with the first 12.9 km section running from Anderson Road in the southwest, northbound and into downtown, opening in 1981. Originally planned for 40,000 passengers per day, this initial section quickly achieved its designed ridership, and is now part of the Red Line. Based on the success of the Anderson-downtown section, the city approved a second route which would head northwest towards the University of Calgary and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Opposition to the routing through the neighborhood of Sunnyside resulted in a switch of priority to the northeast, in what would become the Blue Line. The median of some main roads had already been allocated to serve as the right of way for what would be come the CTrain's Blue Line, and the first 9.8 km section opened in 1985, before the originally proposed northwestern expansion. Both lines share a right-of-way through the downtown core.

Northeast expansion
The Blue Line's first expansion was to McKnight–Westwinds station in 2007. with Martindale station and Saddletowne (the current terminus) opening in 2012.

Western expansion
In February 2018 the Western expansion of the CTrain began, extending the line from downtown towards 69 Street Southwest, and adding an additional six stations. The Western expansion opened at the end of 2012, ahead of the planned 2013 opening.

Capacity upgrade
Up until the completion of the Red Line's Fish Creek-Lacombe station, all platforms for the CTrain were originally designed to service three-car trains, although there had been enough space allotted to allow four car trains. Beginning in 2007 construction on station platforms began to expand the entire network to allow four-car trains, with the project being completed in 2017 for CA$300 million. In 2017 Calgary Tranist began running four-car trains on the Blue Line. The increase from three-car trains realized an additional capacity of 200 passengers per trip.

Stations and route
Starting at the 69 Street Southwest station, the Blue line runs along 17th Avenue Southwest, crossing Sarcee Trail, passes briefly underground towards Westbrook Mall, and then follows along Bow Trail. The line then continues to Downtown Calgary where it shares a right of way with the Red Line along 7th Avenue. The two lines diverge after City Hall station, where it turns north to cross the Bow River, and runs along them edian of Memorial Drive, until 36th Avenue Southeast, where it turns northbound, continuing within the median of 36th Avenue, crossing 16th Avenue North/Trans-Canada Highway, and McKnight Boulevard. After McKnight Boulevard 36 Street turns to Metis Trail, and the Blue Line passes under a bridge in the northbound lane running parallel to the road until Martindale station, at which point it turns northeast to its terminus at Saddletowne station.

Future expansion
Studies in 2018 included an expansion of the northeast section of the Blue Line beyond the existing terminus at Saddletowne station, along 60th Street Northwest, turning west onto 128th Avenue Northeast, on which it would end. The study includes three stations, one at 88th Street Northeast, one on Country Hills Boulevard, and one on 128th Street Northeast.