It’s a shuttered relic from a past era, but one that could soon be reopened at several Calgary LRT stations as soon as later this year.
According to Calgary Transit, there is a plan underway to activate storefronts and kiosks at some of the stations on the network.
The kiosks can largely be found at some of the older stations on the city’s LRT network, which used to house shops that sold concessions and transit tickets.
In the Bridgeland LRT station, transit officials confirmed there has already been a vendor selected for a storefront expected to open by the end of the year.
In a statement to Global News, Calgary Transit said details around the space are still being finalized and they “aren’t ready to share who the vendor is or concrete dates.”
There are also plans to explore storefront opportunities for Brentwood, Heritage and Southland stations, with a goal to have them opened by the end of 2026, transit officials said.
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“We don’t have any specific ‘types’ of storefronts that we’re hoping for, so are open to hearing what potential vendors have in mind,” a transit spokesperson said in a statement to Global News.
Calgary Transit is also seeking bids, or “expressions of interest” from parties for a cafe at Westbrook station.
The prospect of having a concession or storefront right on the LRT is welcomed by some CTrain riders.
“I definitely could catch a coffee before I head to school, so it would be awesome,” Naz Rahman told Global News.
Others, like Emma Bollivar noted there are concerns around safety that remain at many of the city’s LRT stations.
“I think it’s good but it’s just a matter of will everybody respect it? Depends on the people that come through,” she said.
However, transit experts argue safety could be a potential benefit to activating the spaces in and around Calgary’s LRT stations, pointing to the revamp of Century Gardens into basketball courts near 8 Street station in the downtown core.
“When we have more programming in the stations, we have more eyes and ears in the stations, we have more people coming to the stations for accessing transit or maybe even these businesses, it creates activity,” said David Cooper, principal at Leading Mobility. “More activity leads to increased safety.”
Cooper also noted businesses leasing the sites from Calgary Transit could also be a form of revenue generation as transit agencies across the country face funding challenges.
Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra, who represents Bridgeland on council, said he is excited at the potential for the spaces, but hopes transit keeps costs minimal for any would-be shop owners.
“My hope is that we charge as little rent as possible and we really lean into someone keeping the space clean, and keeping it well staffed and open and well lit and well loved for a maximum amount of time,” Carra said.
Details are still unknown around costs to reactivate the storefronts.
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