The city of Calgary, Alberta has a large transportation network that encompasses a variety of road, rail, air, public transit, and pedestrian infrastructure. Calgary is also a major Canadian transportation centre and a central cargo hub for freight in and out of north-western North America. The city sits at the junction between the "Canamex" highway system and the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1 in Alberta).
As a prairie city, Calgary has never had any to grmajor impediments owth. As such, it has developed into a city with an area of about 745 km²  (of which only half is built up) and a metropolitan area of nearly 5 100 km². This outward growth has encouraged the development of an extensive personal vehicle-oriented road network complete with a freeway system.
Since 1981, when the city officially opened the first leg of its CTrain rapid transit system, emphasis on public transportation as an alternative to cars has become important. The CTrain now has a higher ridership than any other light rail system in any other North American city with 268 000 boardings per weekday. Cycling is also seen as a major alternative to driving in Calgary. In recent years, increases in the population and density of inner city neighbourhoods such as the Beltline have favoured greater pedestrianism as well.

Public transportation
Main article: Calgary Transit
Calgary's primary public transportation system is operated by Calgary Transit. The service operates only within Calgary city limits and does not provide transportation to and from other communities within the Calgary Region. Some communities within Calgary's metropolitan area provide their own transit services (for example, Airdrie Transit). Calgary Transit is owned and managed by the City of Calgary.
Main article: C-Train

A light rail vehicle in Calgary's C-Train system.
The light rail transit (LRT) system, known as the C-Train, consists of 42.1 km of track connecting 36 stations and was one of the first such systems in North America. Until very recently, Calgary and Edmonton were the only two North American cities with populations under one million to operate rapid mass transit systems. The McKnight-City Centre line serves downtown and the Northeast, while the Crowfoot-Somerset line runs between the Northwest and South Calgary via Downtown. Travel between stations along 7th Avenue in downtown is free-of-charge. Unique to the C-Train system, its power is completely wind generated and completely free of emissions.
[edit]Buses
See also: List of Calgary bus lines
Calgary Transit also has a system of buses, with routes stretching over the whole city. It has won several awards for its efficiency and its environmental responsibility. It consists of over 160 bus routes and three C-Train lines (two routes), stretching over 4,500 km