Stage 1 of the north-south line will be 20km long with 14 stations, linking 16th Avenue North West in Crescent Heights with 126th Avenue South East in Shepard.

The project includes the construction of a 4km city centre tunnel between 20th Avenue North and Macleod Trail and a 1km viaduct between Inglewood/Ramsay and 26 Avenue.

The line will serve three park-and-ride stations with 1800-1900 parking spaces.

Services will be operated by a fleet of around 70 low-floor LRVs, which will be maintained at a depot north of 126th Avenue South East in Shepard.

Construction of Stage 1 is projected to cost $C 4.65bn ($US 3.39bn) and funding is expected to come from a combination of municipal, provincial, and federal sources. In July 2015 the federal government allocated $C 1.5bn to the project from its Public Transport Fund.

Construction will begin in 2020 and Stage 1 will open in 2026, with projected ridership of 60,000-65,000 passengers per day in the initial phase of operations.

The administration will formally recommend the project to Calgary City Council on May 15, proposing the construction of Stage 1, with the line being extended southeast to Seton in phases as funding becomes available.

When all phases are complete, the 46km line will almost double the length of Calgary’s 59km light rail network.

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