THREAD: I've been thinking about this argument that high-floor trains on the #greenlineyyc would be a "cost-saver". This was something put forward as part of the 'sensible alternative'.

After all, both will do the same job, no?

Here's some of the problems I see.

1) First, Urban integration. LRT can be anything from a 'commuter rail lite' (i.e. University Station) to an urban streetcar (i.e. Waterloo's ION). #GreenLineYYC is both of these. Low-floor trains are standard now, and not having to build high station platforms is a big deal.

2) It's better to me to capitalize on the low-floor integration capabilities for the places where it's really needed (Centre Street North, for example), than it is to make integration in those areas more difficult.

3) Next up, the idea that a consistent fleet allows for more flexibility in maintenance and operations.

Calgary is already working with three different LRT vehicles, from many different ages. Are the parts really that interchangeable? Honestly, I'd like to know.

4) If you're going to start dispatching cars on the #GreenLineYYC from McNight-Westwinds or Anderson garages, you'd need a rail interchange downtown, or some kind of bypass.

For an alternative that is all about doing it on the cheap, that doesn't make sense.

5) Third, operations: If the goal is to save costs by avoiding building another maintenance facility (which is the value proposition of incremental maintenance costs), and you build an interchange so trains can move from Red/Blue to Green, you still have a challenge...

6) ...when you try to dispatch trains. In the morning, you'd have to send both Blue/Red and Green line trains from the same two facilities. Either you send them early (costly operations) or you hurt the existing line's capacity by threading in empty trains (bad service).

7) Urban integration, the need for a rail interchange, and operational problems. These are three big problems with the idea of using high-floor cars on #GreenLineYYC.

There are places where consistent rolling stock is a good proposition. But it's very dependent on the project.