Calgary Transit pilot project testing two-car CTrain service on weekends

A Calgary CTrain is seen in this undated image. (David Vincent Villavicencio/Pexels)

Calgary Transit will be testing out reducing its weekend CTrain service to two cars starting this week.

The city said it is launching the pilot project to optimize weekend service, with the usual weekend ridership sitting under the 400-person capacity of two train cars.

Annual CTrain ridership has been growing toward 2019 pre-pandemic levels, as has weekend ridership. But the city says the average weekend train trip carries 84 passengers and up to 300 during busy periods.

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The city hopes reducing the number of train cars to match demand will reduce costs related to energy, maintenance and operations.

“This pilot allows us to match service with demand while maintaining reliability and availability for those who depend on public transit,” Aaron Coon, manager at Calgary Transit, said in a Monday news release.

The two-car weekend service will operate on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

The city said additional “floater” trains would be in operation for high-demand events, such as concerts and Calgary Flames games. Train lengths will be increased to three or four cars on weekends during “significant city-wide events,” such as the Calgary Stampede.

The change in service would result in a 33 per cent reduction in energy usage over the weekend, the city says. Additionally, wear and tear on vehicles will be reduced and there will be fewer cars for peace officers to patrol.

Calgary Transit may consider expanding the two-car service to non-peak hours on weekdays if the pilot is successful.

The project is scheduled to launch on March 22. The city is encouraging riders to share feedback on the program through Calgary Transit’s customer service channels.