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Then mayor Ralph Klein, who was less than eight months into his role, drove the first CTrain on opening day.

For the next 35 years and four months, as both the city, and the transit system expanded, Car 2001 transported Calgarians over and over and over again.

Calgary Transit’s very first LRV car clocked 2,591,230 km during its lifetime.

While the car was certainly capable of clocking a few more kilometres, Davies said it makes financial sense to take older cars, including Calgary’s very oldest, off the tracks.

“Our newer trains, they’re running about three to four more times reliable than the old ones,” he said.

“From a passenger perspective, you’ve got a far higher probability of getting to your destination in a newer train than an older one. The sooner we can get our new ones up and running, the better.”

The decommissioning process involves stripping the train and reusing, recycling or storing parts in case they’re needed to keep other older cars running.

Davies said while some are sad to see Calgary’s first LRV car go, others much prefer the newer trains, which have features that certainly didn’t exist when Car 2001 landed in Calgary in 1980.

Think air conditioning, passenger information via video displays, technical improvements and a smoother, less jerky ride.

“If you speak to any of the guys on the shop floor who’ve been maintaining these things for the last 35 years, there are some of the guys that just absolutely love them,” he said.

“There’s no doubt we’ve got members of the public that love them as well, actually. And then we’ve got other people that just can’t wait to get them out the door.”