Sunalta station

Sunalta Station is a CTrain light rail station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It serves the West segment of the Blue Line.[1]

Sunalta
CTrain station
General information
Location10 Ave. SW, Calgary, AB
Canada
Coordinates51°02′41″N 114°05′58″W
Owned byCalgary Transit
PlatformsSide-loading platforms
Connections90 University of Calgary/Bridgeland
Construction
Structure typeElevated
ParkingNone
AccessibleYes
History
Opened2012
Services
Preceding station CTrain Following station
Shaganappi Point
toward 69 Street
 Blue Line Downtown West–Kerby
toward Saddletowne

The station is located on an elevated guideway, constructed on the south side of the CPR mainline. It is located near 16 Street SW and the communities of Sunalta, Connaught, Scarboro and Downtown West,[2] 1.1 km West of the 7 Avenue & 9 Street SW Interlocking.

Inside the station building, escalators, stairs and an elevator provide access to the mezzanine level where the pedestrian overpass connects the station to Bow Trail and the now-closed Greyhound Bus Depot. From the mezzanine level, a further two sets of escalators, stairs, and elevators provide access up to the side-loading platform. Sunalta is the first elevated station in the CTrain system.[2] An Area Redevelopment Plan for the station's surroundings was approved by City Council in March 2010.[3]

In its first year of service, Sunalta served an average of 5,640 boardings per day.[4]

History

Construction on Sunalta station began on July 14, 2010.[5] The ceremonial opening was held on December 9, 2012,[6] and on December 10, the station, and the West LRT project as a whole,[7] opened for revenue.[8][9]

Crime

Sunalta Station has been criticized for being a crime hotspot in the Calgary C-Train System. On a CityNews interview in January 2022 with Calgary Transit Lead Staff 'Stephen Tauro', it was listed as one of the 5 stations with an unusually high crime rate. The others being: Marlborough, Rundle, Southland and Heritage Stations.[10]

During the month of March 2023, an underground drug operation along the Calgary C-Train system would get disrupted. Officers seized the substances of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, morphine and xanax. Multiple weapons such as 21 knives, two machetes, two hatchets, a handgun, and a can of bear spray were also seized by police. 40 people would get arrested between multiple stations, Sunalta Station along with Franklin, Southland, Marlborough, Heritage, Rundle, Whitehorn, Brentwood, Chinook, Crowfoot, 8th Street SW, Anderson, Dalhousie, Westbrook Stations would have arrests relating to the aforementioned drug trade.[11]

Emergency crews were called to Sunalta LRT Station at around 11:30 PM on the Friday night of April 28, 2017, after reports of a physical altercation between two men came in. When arrived, one of the men had suffered from serious stabbing-related injuries, and would be pronounced dead on the scene.[12]

Transit peace officers were called to Sunalta LRT Station at approximately 11:40 PM on Wednesday November 30, 2022 after they were notified about a group of people loitering and causing disturbances at the station. The officers spoke with the individuals; during the interaction, one individual became argumentative with the officers and refused to leave. The man was determined to already have outstanding warrants and would be taken into custody after the altercation, where quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl were seized.[13]

Notable places nearby
Construction of Sunalta Station in April 2010

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2012-12-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. West LRT, Sunalta Station
  3. Sunalta Area Redevelopment Plan
  4. "West LRT One Year Review" (pdf). 2014. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. Metro International; Atlantic Free Daily Newspapers Inc. (2010-07-15). Metro Calgary - July 15, 2010.
  6. Howell, Trevor Scott (November 7, 2012). "Crowds turn out to welcome city's newest LRT line". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  7. "Calgary opens West LRT, completes 7 Avenue project". Railway Track and Structures. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  8. Potkins, Meghan (November 7, 2012). "West LRT line will open Dec. 10 on time, city says (with video)". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  9. Metro International; Atlantic Free Daily Newspapers Inc. (2012-11-08). Metro Calgary - November 8, 2012.
  10. Recent stabbings leave Calgary transit riders feeling unsafe, retrieved 2022-12-17
  11. https://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/calgary-transit-crime-safety-undercover-drug-operation
  12. "Calgary police search for suspect in fatal stabbing at Sunalta CTrain Station - Calgary | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04.
  13. "Man charged for causing a disturbance at Transit station". Calgary Police Newsroom. December 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
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