CEO of Calgary’s Green Line steps down as wind-down continues on LRT project

As the wind-down of Calgary’s Green Line LRT task continues, the project’s CEO has announced helium is stepping down from the role.

Darshpreet Bhatti told metropolis councillors during an update Tuesday that he’s transitioning retired of the relation this week aft 3 years astatine the helm of the multi-billion-dollar project.

“Serving this assemblage implicit the past 3 years and gathering thousands of Calgarians from each walks of beingness is the astir rewarding acquisition of this occupation that I’ve had,” Bhatti told council.

“Thank you for your support. That support, that engagement, that encouragement made my clip genuinely peculiar successful Calgary.”

City officials proceed to upwind down the Calgary mentation of the Green Line LRT, aft the state pulled its stock of $1.53 backing from the task pursuing council’s determination to o.k. a shortened archetypal signifier of the enactment with a ballooned fund of $6.2 billion.

Council voted successful September to statesman winding down the project, arsenic the state contracted engineering steadfast AECOM to find alternate alignments for a southeast LRT that is at-grade oregon elevated successful the downtown halfway to Shepard.

Following weeks of discussions, the metropolis and provincial authorities came to an statement to reinstate provincial backing and salvage respective contracts related to the southeast information of the enactment including plan enactment from Victoria Park to Shepard arsenic good arsenic the acquisition of LRV cars that volition tally connected the line.

Green Line officials told assembly Tuesday that 53 per cent of the existent agreements person been closed, which correspond astir 1 per cent of the estimated $850 cardinal successful costs to upwind down the project.

“I privation the metropolis continued success, not conscionable connected this programme but each different infrastructure initiatives,” Bhatti said. “Because I genuinely judge Calgarians request them and they merit them.”

City assembly besides voted Tuesday to dissolve the Green Line Board, the project’s oversight body.

Administration said the Green Line volition present go a caller metropolis section overseen by the city’s main administrative officer.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters details are inactive to travel connected however the metropolis volition negociate the aboriginal of the Green Line task moving forward.

Gondek said the Green Line Board was tasked with overseeing the project’s alignment approved by assembly successful 2020, which was halted by assembly successful September.

“You cannot person a committee overseeing thing that doesn’t exist.  There is nary caller alignment done the downtown yet. We don’t cognize what it looks similar to support going from (Victoria Park) to Shepard, there’s truly not a task close now,” Gondek said.

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“It’s surely not the task the Green Line Board was brought successful for, truthful they person taken it upon themselves to disband.”

The committee held its past gathering connected Monday.

“Our beliefs are that this infrastructure, the Green Line, is captious to the aboriginal of this city,” now-former Green Line Board seat Don Fairbairn told council.

“We lone person the champion hopes and wishes that the citizens volition beryllium well-served by your decisions unneurotic with our backing partners arsenic you determination guardant done this uncertain period.”

Gondek said a moving radical has been formed betwixt the metropolis and provincial officials, and determination is regular connection connected the aboriginal of the project.

A study connected the province’s desired alignment for the Green Line LRT is expected by the extremity of the year.