Sunnyside station (Calgary)


Sunnyside station is a CTrain light rail station in Calgary, Alberta. It serves the Northwest Line. It is located on the exclusive light rail right of way beside 9A Street NW at 4 Avenue NW, 0.9 km northwest of the 7 Avenue & 9 Street SW interlocking. The station opened on September 7, 1987 as part of the original Northwest line. The station consists of two side-loading platforms with pedestrian crossings at both ends.
The station serves the Sunnyside and Hillhurst neighbourhoods of Calgary, as well as the Kensington shopping district, and is a short walk from Riley Park.
As part of Calgary Transit's plan to operate four-car trains by the end of 2014, all three-car platforms are being extended. On April 16, 2012 construction started on an extension of the platform to the South as well as redevelopment of the plaza areas immediately adjacent to the east side of the station. As of November 24, 2012, the new platform extension and wheelchair ramps have re-opened however, work continued on the station plaza area on the east side until early January 2013.

History

The station, and the section of the line running through it, is the most controversial in the CTrain system. When the Northwest Line was being planned, community residents organized to keep this station from being built as it required the demolition of many homes and the major disruption of 9A Street N.W.. The city pushed ahead with its plans by purchasing most of the properties along 9A Street. Eventually, as the area became accustomed to the CTrain, the properties were sold off to private interests.

Ridership

The station registered an average of 5,700 daily boardings in 2005, which by 2008 had increased to an average of 10,400.