History

We’ve been moving Calgarians since 1909 when streetcar service was first introduced. The first 12 streetcars travelled along 25.7 km of track, serving a community of 30,000 people. In 1932 gas fuelled buses were introduced to connect people to communities that were not serviced by streetcar.

In the 1940’s the transit system was modernized as streetcars were phased out and replaced with a more responsive and flexible system of motor buses and electric trolley buses. The last streetcar ran in 1950 and then it was restored and moved to Heritage Park where it sits as a reminder of our past.

Between 1950 and 1975 Calgary’s population grew to almost half a million people, so bus and trolley systems were expanded to meet the demand. During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s trolley buses were phased out and replaced with diesel buses that were more economical and flexible in their routing.

In 1972, we joined The City of Calgary in the Transportation Department and were named Calgary Transit. That same year a Blue Arrow limited stop express bus service was introduced to serve passengers in the downtown core during rush hours.

Construction of the CTrain system began in 1978, with the first 10.9 km from Anderson Road to 7 Avenue S.W. officially opening on May 25, 1981.