Calgary Blue Line West LRT Extension
Making the Grade
More than a transit line, the West LRT brings neighbours together, creating connected, vibrant communities across Calgary’s west side.
Calgary’s west side was growing fast, and residents in Sunalta, Shaganappi, and West Springs faced congested roads and limited transit options. The Blue Line West LRT extension brought a reliable, high-capacity transit link, connecting tens of thousands of residents, Mount Royal University students, and local workers to downtown. By making daily commutes faster, less stressful, and more sustainable, the line opened new opportunities for people to move around the city with ease.
GEC partnered with the City to ensure the project reflected the unique character of each neighbourhood. We guided the delivery model and procurement approach for the design-build project, authored the White Paper on Station Design Logistics and Timing, and oversaw design from Reference Design through Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Each station—whether elevated or underground—became more than a stop on a route: they are urban nodes for walking, cycling, and local activity.
Community engagement was central to the process. Workshops, visualizations, and collaborative design sessions turned early concerns into support, ensuring stations are safe, accessible, and welcoming while maintaining a consistent design language across the line. Within a year of opening, ridership rose 11 percent, 6,200 daily car trips were removed, commutes were 15 minutes shorter, and customer satisfaction reached 88 percent.
The West LRT is more than transit infrastructure. It connects people to jobs, education, and daily life, strengthens communities, and demonstrates how thoughtful, people-focused design can shape a city that truly works for its residents.
“This is a line that is being built for the communities it will serve, so we wanted those communities to take ownership and have a say in how the stations and the line itself integrated with the community.”