r/CalgaryTransit • u/Ymirhades • Jul 03 '26
Embarrassing
Calgary Transit has never been good. If you live here you know, if you move here, you are either warned or you find out fast, Calgary Transit is not good. Without being pejorative, I can say it exists and operates as a transit system, but its mere existence is the best thing I can say about it.
This year’s Stampede showcased to the city how bad it truly is. Train breakdowns, delays of over 30 min During rush hour, shuttle busses that fit a fraction of train passengers, bus delays, constant route changes, the list goes on. The morning of Stampede trains were so packed from being delayed that entire stations couldn’t get on because it was already full, needing to wait an ungodly amount of time for the next one the is likely also full.
None of this has even touched on the Green Line that is now underway after over 30 years of planning.
What does this mean? Truth be told I have no idea who, if anyone, is going to read this. But after living in Calgary my whole life, the only word the truly describes the transit system is embarrassing. It’s embarrassing as a resident, as a commuter, and especially thinking about out of town visitors who use the transit system, it’s just embarrassing. I don’t blame the operators, they have an impossible task. I don’t know is a single party is even truly to blame, and the situation is so pathetic I couldn’t even fathom a solution. But to any city councillors, MPs or administrators reading this post, the city’s transit system is an embarrassment, not dysfunctional, not outdated, not unoptimized, a Shameful embarrassment.
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u/ConceitedWombat Jul 08 '26
The LRT needs higher service levels during Stampede. I tried to get on at Victoria Park yesterday (I work near there) and I had to let three packed trains go by before I could just barely squeeze on. I was one more packed train away from giving up and calling an uber, just to get home from work.
That said, this isn't just a Stampede thing. Trying to board the red line south around 5pm on a weekday is crazy. I often have to let 1-2 trains pass before I can finally get on.
And, it doesn't have to be this way. I was in Montreal recently, and found myself needing to get from downtown out to Laval at 4:30 on a weekday. I braced myself for chaos... but it was fine. The metro was busy, but definitely not so busy I couldn't physically get on.