Edmonton's LRT vs Calgary's CTrain: Which One is Better?

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@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

I filmed the narration for this video a week before the wildfires in Alberta reached the township of Jasper. Jasper National Park is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and the town is home to 5000+ residents who have evacuated to Edmonton, Calgary, and various other places in the province. Building sustainable cities and good transit has never been more imperative. The loss of forests, historical buildings, and livelihoods is heartbreaking, and a sign that we need to do better. Speak to your local governments, engage with the people around you, and if you can donate to wildfire relief efforts you can do so at www.redcross.ca (the provincial and federal governments are matching donations).

@caryserack873 5 ай бұрын

Calgary has a digital pass system that uses your cell phone. not a stand alone card like Edmonton. In Calgary you can literally buy a ticket or pass while you are at the bus stop/station through your phone.

@dylanschmidt5232 2 ай бұрын

Calgary planned their mass transit system, unlike Edmonton who threw something together and amsaid this will work

@jd9875a 5 ай бұрын

Couple points... Chinook Centre has a station a block away and there is a pedestrian overpass right in to the mall. I think Edmonton used to have a free fare zone downtown too but they axed it like 10 or 15 years ago.

@radeonclientcrystalpvp7786 6 ай бұрын

4:43, chinook mall is accessible through the lrt. They have a station named chinook a 3 minute walk from the mall

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

You're right! It would still be nice to have the station better integrated into the mall itself, but I've added a correction in the description :)

@AustinSersen 6 ай бұрын

The video we've all been waiting for! So happy I live in Calgary.

@aidanbazan7769 6 ай бұрын

The free fare zone has existed since the LRT was built. It was rebranded to the "TD Free fare zone" in 2022, but it's always existed.

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

Corrected in the description :)

@omrail 5 ай бұрын

@@AchyuthaReddy Edmonton also had a free fair zone in downtown and then they got rid of

@CalgaryBen 6 ай бұрын

Well done on the research and presentation of this video! While I've never ridden the ETS LRT, I'm impressed by the new trains and some of the stations you showcased. As a born-and-raised Calgarian, I remember riding the CTrain/LRT to/from school in the 80s and 90s. While you declared Calgary the winner (yay!), I don't take much pride in our transit system, as there are so many things Calgary Transit could have done better from its inception. When taking public transportation in other major cities, it makes me wonder why Calgary falls short. One correction to your video... at 2:29 you mention the Free Fare Zone starting in 2022 -- the downtown Free Fare Zone has always been around since launch in 1981. It was all sponsorship/branding with TD that went into effect in 2022 (which I was unaware of until just now). Chances are it will continue indefinitely (not just for 5 years), but branding/sponsorship may change.

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! That's actually a big reason why I started making these comparison videos-so much of transit and urban planning is other cities learning from each other and seeing where they can do better. And I didn't know about the free fare zone! I've made a correction in the description.

@EJW2003 6 ай бұрын

I’m a fiend for Alberta transit content haha 😅 was genuinely so excited to see this pop up in my feed

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

Me too! I'm so glad :)

@uzzfra7975 5 ай бұрын

2:29 the free fare zone has actually existed for im pretty sure the whole system lifespan, they just rebranded it to the "TD free fare zone" instead of the free fare zone

@ConnorBayne-u3v 3 ай бұрын

Nice analysis! I’ll add some thoughts about Edmonton’s system. I think that a key thing which Edmonton’s system does a better job at is serving destinations directly. I find that in Edmonton, despite its lesser extent, the train network runs directly through or adjacent to beside key destinations/trip generators such as all post secondary institutions, Rogers Arena, Stadium, malls, and, once the west leg is finished, all city hospitals. I find that with Calgary, a bunch of key destinations (MRU, most hospitals, McMahon Stadium, etc.) are missing from the network. And even with the current network, there is quite a bit of walking involved to access places such as Chinook, Southcentre, Saddledome, PLH, etc. and some of these require trekking across arterial roads. Also, because you mentioned Edmonton’s higher bus ridership and better bus feeder network, I’d be curious as to what proportion of trips involving Calgary’s LRT also involve a car (drop off and park and ride) vs Edmonton’s. I would think Calgary’s higher ridership is supported by its much higher concentration of downtown office population, but that a lot of these trips may be coming from suburban riders being dropped off or parking first. I see a much higher concentration of parking around Calgary’s suburban stations vs. Edmonton’s. Haven’t seen data on this though!

@AchyuthaReddy 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! Definitely thought about some of this while I was making the video too :)

@CnekYT 6 ай бұрын

Pretty interesting that this video was opened when I was on the Edmonton LRT as a Calgary resident

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

The algorithm is getting too good haha

@caryserack873 5 ай бұрын

The "TD free fare zone" started in 2022, previous to that it was simply the "free fare zone" (it was always free downtown)

@yaygya 6 ай бұрын

Great video overal! I enjoyed your analysis deeply. I have some notes I’d like to add. Apologies for the impending wall of text. - Edmonton also had a free fare zone in the downtown tunnel in the past, but it was removed at some point. (This reminds me, did you see the ETS exhibit at K-Days? They had some archival maps that showed some other potential corridors for the LRT to make it more of a German-style spiderweb Stadtbahn system, which is quite interesting.) - Calgary has a plus in terms of fares in that you can get tickets on Calgary’s fare app or the Transit app. Edmonton theoretically can support contactless credit card payments or a mobile payments card, but the work hasn’t been put in to implement one. - Part of the factors of Calgary Transit’s fares being higher is that Edmonton has more municipalities and regional transit agencies in the same land area as Calgary (which is why we can’t build LRT to the airport), the CTrain lines are longer, and also serve as a park and ride system for people heading downtown and not wanting to pay parking fares (this also contributes to the CTrain’s disproportionately high ridership). - The Capital Line is the fastest LRT line in Alberta overall because of its limited interruptions compared to the others, owing to the downtown tunnel. If it weren’t for the CTrain downtown corridor being on street level, the Red and Blue lines would have similar speed overall. The Metro and Valley Lines are slower because they get interrupted more (particularly Valley, as you know). - I think part of what contributes to Calgary‘s relative safety on transit is the higher ridership of the CTrain network. The “eyes on the street” effect described by Jane Jacobs has an impact on public safety in cities in general, and I’ve definitely felt that in Calgary city centre more than Edmonton’s, even at nighttime. Your video was incredibly informative and I have to agree with your assessment. I think Edmonton would manage to make it up in the overall transit system comparison due to the much better bus network. Ultimately, despite having lived in Edmonton for 7 years straight, I am still a Vancouverite at heart, and the SkyTrain (and TransLink overall) just destroys both Alberta cities in bus and train coverage, even when you compare with Metro Vancouver 20 years ago (which had a similar population to Edmonton and Calgary now). I do think if TransLink’s funding shortfall hits next year, they’ll have to cut service and we’ll be able to close the gap (not that I want that to happen, but I try to look on the bright side of things). Once again, I apologize for all the text. I am just incredibly enthusiastic.

@highway2heaven91 6 ай бұрын

How is TransLink’s suburban coverage in comparison to Edmonton and Calgary’s transit systems? Would you say it’s above average for North America?

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

Wow thank you for the enthusiasm! Your comment made my day. Those are great points (I didn’t get to see the K-Days exhibit unfortunately, but it sounds so cool). The SkyTrain is great… I might just have to make a video soon 👀

@swathigutha 6 ай бұрын

Great comparison. Keep up the good work 👍

@yogeshkarlekar 6 ай бұрын

Edmonton has the advantage of an underground downtown corridor, they can easily be much better and have more lines in coming time

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

I hope so!

@omrail 5 ай бұрын

Playing the devils advocate it’s not a benefit. The tunnel stunted growth of the LRT due to the cost associated with it. It’s at capacity supposedly hence why the valley line was not built into the tunnel, which would’ve made downtown very easy to get through in an east west direction. Calgary original line was to be in a tunnel till realizing the cost of it. Also, their new green line will be utilizing a downtown tunnel.

@Mikeeey0 5 ай бұрын

I do like underground corridors for all the added benefits it brings. But I’ve flipped my opinion in recent times, for a middle sized city, I like that Calgary has the stations above ground because of the additional throngs of people it brings out on to the streets, creating a more bustling atmosphere and adding more eyes on the street to deter crime. If everything was underground, boy it’d be awfully quiet downtown during rush hour.

@jake9764 6 ай бұрын

Edmonton’s Pedway Network spans about 13 km of walkways, connecting over 40 buildings and parking facilities. Calgary’s Plus 15 Network is more extensive, with over 18 km of elevated walkways connecting more than 100 buildings. Edmonton’s Pedway might be better connected to LRT stations though, which is really cool. Chinook Mall is accessible by LRT, it has its own station. Great video!

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

I didn’t know that about the Plus 15! I think that’s one downside of having an above ground LRT in the downtown core... It’s harder to connect to indoor pathways. I put a correction for Chinook in the description :)

@caryserack873 5 ай бұрын

WOW, Calgary's +15 network (what you call a pedway) is WAY larger than Edmonton's. Please look it up and edit this.

@iamzuckerburger 6 ай бұрын

Super cool to see a gurl transit nerd. Love it!

@Leo_HuangAB 6 ай бұрын

Personally as a Calgarian who studies in Edmonton, I prefer the C-Train as inconvenient as it is since it is a lot more comfortable to be on compared to the Edmonton LRT since it's better funded. Plus, I'm bias

@DarkwarriorJ 5 ай бұрын

Same story here, but I currently strongly prefer the Edmonton LRT precisely because of how convenient it is going to locations including UAlberta. The C-Train, by contrast, I basically never had any real chance to use in Calgary (still waiting for the green line lol), and they seem to be embedded in a sea of parking and transit such that actually getting to where you want to go takes forever after getting out of the transit stop. I guess Calgary's very much a 'park and ride' vibe, whilst Edmonton's capital line feels like it has relevant and interesting locations right outside of the stops at least half the time. Or at least stops that should be interesting and relevant if they were better utilized than they currently are (I'm looking at you, Southgate mall of utterly boring bougie BS and Central City mall of insufficient relevant stores)

@cephalopodasapiens 6 ай бұрын

the edmonton pedway is such a genius investment it kills me inside every time i realize that i can barely use it because of the lrt's non-existent west-side coverage. i still remember when i was told that i could the valley line west extension to get to high school when i was a kid... now i'm in university and there still isn't a single track to be seen.

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

I felt the same way about the valley line south and I got to ride it for the first time this winter… I share your frustration, especially watching other cities do things faster. The green line in Calgary has arguably faced even more friction in its approval/construction.

@CLAU-clown 6 ай бұрын

There IS progress being made, have you been outside the West Edmonton Mall recently and seen the LRT bridge construction? It's looking much more promising than it was a few years ago.

@whyme943 6 ай бұрын

I will point out that Calgary has the +15 system too.

@premsprespective3507 6 ай бұрын

love to see fellow desi transit nerd

@Passque666 5 ай бұрын

I agree on higher rate of crimes as an Edmontonian but since a past couple of months, the transit and buses feel more safer as drug addicts get outta the transit system thanks to the presence of Peace officers.

@LightrayLife 4 ай бұрын

Those puns at the beginning were soooo bad that they were too good 💀😭 so I stayed 🤣😂

@AchyuthaReddy 3 ай бұрын

Haha I try my best

@canadiancoldtalks 4 ай бұрын

Green Line got cancelled

@AchyuthaReddy 3 ай бұрын

Right after I uploaded this video too!

@jaskirat1999 6 ай бұрын

Calgary transit has an app so you can just buy tickets/passes from your phone. Edmonton does not.

@jake9764 5 ай бұрын

@@jaskirat1999 The app is so much more convenient than the card system used in other cities

@andrewisvrycool 5 ай бұрын

Same with Quebec City. If transit systems don’t have a contactless payment & fare capping system for it, they should always have an app.

@MetroElfren 6 ай бұрын

Could there be a Toronto-Vancouver comparison? Both TransLink and the TTC are comparatively large transit systems.

@AchyuthaReddy 6 ай бұрын

Might be making something even bigger than that in a few weeks 👀 I have a couple of new cities to put out first though

@dineshdeepu9097 6 ай бұрын

Good Work Keep it up

@RobbiePT 5 ай бұрын

It's always been free downtown, just sponsored since 2022 I believe Also, Chinook is accessible from the LRT (although it could be better). Chinook station serves it! Great video though!

@ibrahimm2012 5 ай бұрын

As a Edmontonian I can say the biggest concern this point is the safety in stations . The homeless , junkies , and crime in the station is seriously alarming . If we can deduct that the LRT is great

@MrLesonfireforGod 5 ай бұрын

Overall I liked your video. When I travel I like to ride the local metro, subway, LRT etc. As for safety, I was visiting a friend in Surrey, BC around 1989 or 1990 when the Skytrain line had just been built there. They kept the riffraff away by blasting classical music at the station. As for Pedway and LRT, yes it give more accessibility to the train, but you made no mention of the Plus 15 in Calgary. Why not do a video on your summer break which compares the two? I like the Plus 15 as a system better because of the view it gives. But which is longer, safer and more used?

@hermes8258 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for this video. I am a resident of Calgary visiting Edmonton in part to compare the public transit systems. One thing you dud not mention is class and aesthetics. Calgary has a lot of addicts using LRT shelters to use their drugs. Also in Calgary middle class persons rarely use the LRT. Everyone, even working class persons, drive cars. LRT riders hip gets a lot of generally ill, addicts amd homeless. Buses get a mix of ethnicities, but LRT route gets a much higher $% of aboriginals. I will look yo see if you gave done an assessment of both bus and Skytrain system of Vsncouver versus Calgary. I much prefer the public transit system of Vancouver for 5-6 reasons. Please do s comparison of Calgary ir Edmonton with a similar tier city in Asia. One reason I am expatriating from Canada is because i do not like to drive. Singapore, Taipei, Guangzhou, and Kolkata have less anti-social behaviour on transit.