The C-Train
On May 25, 1981, Calgary Transit became one of the first transit systems in North America (behind Edmonton LRT which opened in 1978) to operate a light rail system — the C-Train, on which construction had begun in 1978. The original line (referred to internally as the A Line, and externally as Route 201) ran from Anderson Station (just north of Anderson Road in the south end of the city) to 8th St SW in Downtown Calgary.
On April 27, 1985, a northeastern-bound line (B-Line / Route 202) was opened, running from 8th St SW to Whitehorn Station (just south of the intersection of McKnight Boulevard and 36th Street in the northeastern quadrant of the city), and on September 4, 1987, a northwestern-bound line (C-Line / part of Route 201) was opened in time for the 1988 Winter Olympics, running from downtown to University Station (directly east of the University of Calgary campus, between 24th and 32nd Avenue on Crowchild Trail).
On September 3, 1990, a 1 km extension of the northwest line to Brentwood Station (south of Brisebois Drive on Crowchild Trail) was opened; on October 9, 2001 two new stations — Canyon Meadows Station (north of Canyon Meadows Drive and west of Macleod Trail) and Fish Creek-Lacombe Station (south of Bannister Road and west of Macleod Trail) were added to the south line; on December 15, 2003, Dalhousie Station (south of 53rd Street in the median of Crowchild Trail) was added to the northwestern line.
On June 28, 2004, two new stations for the south line opened: Shawnessy Station (south of a brand new interchange at Macleod Trail and Shawnessy Boulevard) and Somerset-Bridlewood Station (south of 162nd Avenue and just north of Shawville Gate).
On December 17, 2007, an extension was made to the Route 202 northeast line (first extension ever on the history of the line) from Whitehorn to the new McKnight-Westwinds Station.;
On June 15, 2009, Crowfoot Station was added on the northwest line located directly west of Crowfoot Town Centre in the median of Crowchild Trail.
On August 27, 2012, Martindale and Saddletowne Stations was added to the northeast line, making the total of stations on this line to 10.
Future extensions include Tuscany on the Northwest line in the median of Crowchild Trail at Rocky Ridge Road (Completion 2014); a new west line running west from downtown to 69th Street West (which would presumably be known as D-Line and an extension to Route 202) (Completion 2013); and a new southeast line running from downtown into the communities of Douglasdale and McKenzie in the southeastern portion of the city (E-Line / possibly Route 203).
On July 18, 2007, Calgary Transit officially unveiled a new red and white livery for its C-Train, Articulated Busses and every new bus or train coming into the system.
On August 27, 2008, a train en route to the Somerset station collided with a construction crane in between the Dalhousie and Brentwood stations. Six were injured in the accident, including one child.
On February 18, 2009 Calgary Transit celebrated the 1,000,000,000th rider, randomly selecting a passenger, Shelly Xiao during a ceremony at the 1 Street SW CTrain Station.
Read more about this topic: Calgary Transit