Future C-Train lines in Calgary will likely have an entirely new look to both the vehicles and platforms, according to a transit official. 

While planning for both the southeast and the north-central LRT lines is in the early stages, manager of transit planning Neil McKendrick said it’s very likely future stations will be built without the raised platforms currently in use.

McKendrick said most transit systems in the world have adopted low-floor vehicles, which allow users to walk from ground level onto the train.

“It’s quite likely that we would go to low-floor vehicles because the stations that you need to build are very simple. They’re just basically a slightly raised sidewalk,” said McKendrick.

As it stands, he said the future southeast LRT line would not connect to  existing C-Train lines, allowing Calgary Transit flexibility to introduce new vehicles.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say if Calgary Transit was going to start all over again and go back to 1975, I think we’d definitely be buying low-floor cars but that wasn’t available to us then.” 

When transit user Sunday Ngok saw a picture of a low-floor vehicle used in Spain, she said she was excited by the concept.

“The design is beautiful,” she said. “I really like it.”