City eyes improvements for airport public transit

The city is looking for public input on how best to establish transit service between the airport and future LRT stations innortheast Calgary.

The Airport Transport Study is intended to find the best way to build a cross-town connection from the future Green Line LRT eastward to the Blue Line LRT, with a linkto the Calgary International Airport somewhere near 19th Street N.E.

At an open house on Wednesday night, planners say they're looking at issues ranging from where to place stations, to transit technology options such as dedicated buses, trains and even driverless vehicles.

Senior transportation engineer and project manager Alex Saba says it's all up for discussion during this early part of the public engagement process.

"People want to see Calgary move on to that international city standard, is what we hear a lot," he said.

In January, Naheed Nenshi said a link to the airport is next up in the city's 30-year transit plan, but that the Green Line LRT will first have to be built as far north as 96th Avenue.

"But once the Green Line is done, it will allow for a people-mover along Airport Trail from the Green Line station through to the airport, to the Blue Line, to the northeast line, and that is the long-term plan," the mayor said at the time.

The Blue Line currently ends at Saddletowne, but there are plans to eventuallyadd stations at96thAvenue/Airport Trail, Country Hills Boulevard, and 128 Avenueand Stoney Trail.

Officials say transit ridership to and from the airport lags behind some other major Canadian cities.

Gurmakh Dhaliwa, who lives nearby in Martindale, says Calgary needs a public transit service that goes to the airport.

"Because other cities have it and we don't," he said. "If the transit is luggage-friendly, then I think a lot of people would use it."

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