The City of Calgary is in discussions with the federal government to speed up the stalled Green Line LRT project, says Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

She told reporters recently that the city is seeking help from Ottawa to build the $6.2-billion project sooner than expected. The project’s final design is still about two years away from final approval following a months-long dispute with the provincial government.

City council reluctantly approved the province’s revised design after Premier Danielle Smith’s government threatened to pull its funding from the project. The latest design calls for elevated tracks in the line’s downtown segment, an idea that the city rejected but later grudgingly accepted.

However, a feasibility study on the elevated portion must be completed, and that work is expected to take two years to complete. The federal government is also a Green Line funding partner.

Several commercial real estate projects tied to the Green Line, including those contemplated, proposed and already underway, have been caught in the political crossfire.

Rendering: AECON