This number is said to come from a 2014 study. CBC News requested freedom of information to receive the study. However, no reference corresponds to the request. CBC asked to speak with Calgary Transit GM Transportation Doug Morgan, but the request was denied. For years, politicians have questioned the potential cost of shutting down the LRT system to anyone who has not paid a fare in exchange for lost revenue from maintaining a price payment system. Transit officials say annual surveys show that only a small percentage of the total number of riders on the system do not pay a fare. They say the cost of upgrading or shutting down the system to those who do not pay will be significant. A Calgary Transit spokesman, Stephen Tauro, said the $ 400 million is actually an estimate. “This $ 400 million is based on a lot of things, especially our experience with refurbishing and building stations in the past. The last station was Tuscany in 2014,” Tauro said. “The rough estimate, we consider between 5 and 10 million dollars per station, depending on the composition, the way of development in the community and if it already has a station building.” Tauro said the $ 400 million move to a closed system would not include operating costs such as having station attendants, as some public transportation systems do. A complete Calgary CTrain car. (Lucy Edwardson / CBC) When asked why officials used the number, he said there was a “lack of clarity on our part” and that previous fare avoidance studies had indicated that closing the system would be costly. “There is a lot of work going on in the background. Therefore, not necessarily written on paper, but part of this study examines the cost in relation to the continuation of the pricing system.” Coun. Dan McLean recently stated that he supports a closed system for Calgary CTrain as a way to reduce social disturbance and that it would help passengers feel safer. He said he was disappointed that the crossing was based on that number, but has not actually studied the issue. McLean said he also asked management for information about where the estimate came from, but so far has not been given anything. “I may not have gotten to the point of being betrayed, but for me, that was the reason we closed the issue from the beginning, because of how expensive it was,” said the councilor. “I would like to see the report because what did it include? Did it include some lighting, was it a revolving gate system or this kind of glass in an entire facility like other cities have done? Is it completely closed, partially closed? What is the cost per tourniquet? per platform, so that we can make some decisions “. Coun. Kourtney Penner does not support a closed system, as she said the money for these facility changes would be better spent on extending the LRT system or providing better transportation services. He said he had also repeatedly heard of the $ 400 million. After learning that no studies have been done to examine the cost of switching to a closed system, he called on the administration to communicate more clearly with the Calgarians. “It’s my fault, right, I did not ask for it and I took over the administration because they said a special study was done and so this is the job we all need to do to improve,” Penner said.
“I think that fell on deaf ears,” says Gondek
On Wednesday, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the council often relies on information from management to make decisions. “We thought for a long time that there was this legend of a study that shows that it would be $ 400 million to put on a tourniquet. Obviously, it’s not an issue. It was just an estimate at a time. an estimate, “he said. Going forward, Gondek said one of two things would happen and she hopes it will be the first. “That is, that administration realized that if you were going to give us numbers, you had to make sure they were supported by empirical evidence. The second thing would be that the council, from now on, would ask us to report it forever before we believe anything. And “I would like to believe that we are in a more advanced society than this,” he said. “There have been many, many times where we have received information as soon as we asked. It has been supported by reports and data. I think this is something that has come to light and I hope it does not happen again.” Last month, transit director Sharon Fleming told city councilors she would hire a councilor later this year to address the issue of a closed system. The city wants to explore the feasibility of implementing a closed system, consider the impact on the customer experience as well as how it can affect accessibility and communities near stations. Completion of this study is expected to cost up to $ 100,000.
