Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas has proposed extending the 24-hour transit service currently used during the Calgary Stampede to operate year-round.The idea stems from the success of the Stampede's expanded train schedule, which accommodates hundreds of thousands of visitors with frequent service from 5 a.m.to 1:30 a.m.during the event.Typically, CTrains run between 4 a.m.and 1:30 a.m., but during the Stampede, the service is extended to 24 hours, with trains arriving every 10 minutes between 5 a.m.and 9:30 p.m., and every 15 minutes until midnight.

The proposal aims to leverage these operational insights to improve year-round transit access, particularly for shift workers and logistics, healthcare, and service industry employees.

However, experts like Willem Klumpenhouwer and David Cooper note that implementing 24-hour service would require significant budget increases and trade-offs, such as weekend maintenance closures.

While some argue that 24-hour service could provide a lifeline for underserved populations, others emphasize the need to balance this with improving existing transit infrastructure.

Calgary Transit has not yet commented on the proposal, but the city is exploring ways to model Stampede-era service improvements for other major events like the World Cup of Hockey.