Stampede Ctrain station construction to cause detours for Thanksgiving

Transit riders will have to take a new path to catch a train at the Victoria Park/stampede station starting on the Thanksgiving weekend, as road expansion and construction projects continue.

The project team is turning its focus to constructing the new Ctrain station after completing most of the enabling work, with “significant” construction beginning over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Beginning at 7 p.m. on Oct. 6, the Macleod Trail pedestrian crossing at 17th Avenue S.E. will be closed, with pedestrians able to access the station and Stampede Park at 14th Avenue S.E.

For the remainder of the weekend, pedestrians will be detoured through 12th Avenue S.E. and 25th Avenue S.E. to enter Stampede Park and the Saddledome. Macleod Trail will also have lane closures that are expected to cause traffic delays. Officials are urging drivers to avoid the area.

“We are at a very exciting point in this important and complex project,” Calgary Municipal Land Corp. president Kate Thompson said in a news release. “Building a project of this scale and significance in a tight right-of-way while maintaining transit service, in the heart of one of the most active destinations for entertainment and cultural programming in the city, is a complicated matter.”

The new station is scheduled to be completed in 2024 and will allow for greater access and integration with the surrounding community. In the meantime, a new outbound platform will be constructed to allow service to continue while the old station is demolished and the new one is built.

In addition to the new station, 17th Avenue S.E. is being extended into Stampede Park as the west side of the grounds is opened up to visitors.

“The new station and extension of 17th Avenue will create an important connection between Stampede Park and Calgary's Beltline and downtown communities, making it easier for our community to gather,” said Jim Laurendeau, vice-president of park planning and development with Calgary Stampede.

The project team has already demolished a ramp and walkway to the station and constructed a siding track bridge and utility complex in the area.

The station and road extension is being co-ordinated with the BMO Centre expansion on the Stampede grounds.

Several other Ctrain stations are also expected to be closed over the long weekend for routine maintenance.

GAVIN YOUNG Jim Laurendeau, left, Calgary Stampede vice-president, park planning and development; Kate Thompson, CMLC president; and Chris Jordan, Calgary Transit manager of service design, walk on a temporary platform to be used while the final demolition of Stampede station takes place.