Zoo station is a CTrain light rail station in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population ...

, Canada. It is on the Blue Line between Bridgeland/Memorial and Barlow/Max Bell stations. It opened on April 22, 1985 as part of the original Blue Line. The station serves the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, the Telus Spark science museum as well as the community of Bridgeland.

Location and station layout

The station has a single island platform. The station is located between the two lanes of Memorial Drive, with a tunnel connecting the station north to its park and ride and another tunnel connecting the station south to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

Art

Stylistically, the design of Zoo station differs from the other stations in the CTrain system as it incorporates images of animals and

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s. The station's

Island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular ...

is accessed via ramps leading up from a tunnel below Memorial Drive. The tunnel below Memorial Drive also houses several permanent zoo-related exhibits.

Station Upgrades

As part of Calgary Transit's plan to operate 4-car trains by the end of 2014, all 3-car platforms are being extended. Zoo station will also see new furnishings in addition to a platform extension. Construction started in early 2014 and lasted approximately 6 months. Calgary Transit, in collaboration with

Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications company which provides telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Shaw provides home telecommunications services primarily in Alberta and Br ...

, announced on November 16, 2016 that 8 new locations for Public Wi-Fi services would be added to the Calgary C-Train system. These new locations would add public Wi-Fi to 18 new stations; including Zoo Station. These changes ere done as they would improve transit experience for their users, which would improve customer commitment. Renovations to the station began in September 2017 and were completed in March 2019, with the station remaining open with no disruption to service. The renovations included new wall, ceiling, and floor finishes, enhanced security, including new CCTV cameras, lighting, mechanical, and electrical upgrades, a new public announcement system, new station signs, upgraded station doors, backup power capabilities, and a new roofing system.

References

CTrain stations Railway stations in Canada opened in 1985 1985 establishments in Alberta {{Alberta-railstation-stub Buildings and structures in Calgary