Three construction teams working on bids for first phase of $5.5B Calgary Green Line

A rendering of Highfield station on Segment 1 of the new Green Line. PHOTO: City of Calgary

A shortlist consisting of a half dozen major contractors are preparing bids for Segment 1 of Calgary’s new Green Line.

The city shortlisted three construction teams and issued a request for proposals for the first phase of work on the approximately 20-kilometre light rail project late last month. The call for bids followed a month-long request for qualifications period.

City council sanctioned the P3 project in mid-June. The cost estimate for the transit line totals $5.5 billion, which includes $4.9 billion for construction and $640 million in financing costs to the city.

The three consortia preparing bids for Segment 1 of the project are made up of some of the largest domestic contractors, as well as several international firms. Graham-PCL Transit Partners, CityLink Partners and urbanTRANSIT will work through the competitive bidding process over the next year or so. Calgary anticipates picking a winning bidder for the design-build-finance contract next summer, with construction starting in late 2021.

A map of the new line. Click to enlarge. PHOTO: City of Calgary

Segment 1 of the new rail line runs from Shepard Station (126 Avenue S.E.) at the south end of Calgary, to the Elbow River, just east of downtown. It will run at-grade and include nine stations.

The following phases, Segment 2A and 2B, will take the rail line underground through downtown and back above ground north of the Bow River. Construction is scheduled to start in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

Work on all three stages of the project is expected to create more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Green Line is scheduled to open in 2027.

A complete breakdown of the shortlisted construction consortia for Segement 1:

Graham-PCL Transit Partners

Lead construction team members:
Graham Infrastructure LP
PCL Construction Management Inc.

Lead design team member:
WSP Canada Inc.

Other team members:
Design: Architecture 49, Gibbs Gage Architects, McElhanney, Platinum Engineering Ltd. and Klohn Crippen Berger
Financial Advisor: TD Securities

CityLink Partners

Lead construction team members:
Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc.
Dragados Canada Inc.

Lead design team members:
Parsons Inc.
AECOM Canada Ltd.

Other team members:
Design Team: Wood and EXP
Financial Advisor: Aecon, RBC and ACS

urbanTRANSIT

Lead construction team members:
Salini Impregilo S.p.A.
Hitachi Rail STS S.p.A.

Lead design team member:
GHD Ltd.

Other team members:
Construction Team JV: Astaldi
Design Team: Arcadis Canada Inc., Associated Engineering, and Kasian
Financial Advisor: National Bank