of the vehicles for security purposes. On November 18, 2016, Calgary Transit announced the retirement of the first CTrain LRV purchased, car 2001. Some of the Siemens Duewag U2 cars will be phased out as the new Siemens S200 cars come online. Four car trains In late 2015 Calgary Transit began operating four-car LRT trains on the CTrain system. The lengthening of trains was done to alleviate overcrowding as the system was already carrying more than 300,000 passengers per day, and many trains were overcrowded. The lengthening of trains increased the maximum capacity of each train from 600 to 800 passengers, so when enough new LRT cars arrived to lengthen all trains to four cars, the upgrade increased the LRT system capacity by 33%. Since the platforms on the original stations were designed to only accommodate three-car trains, this required lengthening most of the platforms on the 45 stations on the system and building new electrical substations to power the longer trains. To operate the new four-car trains, the city ordered 63 new cars, although 28 of them were intended to replace the original U2 LRT cars, which have as many as 2.8 million miles on them and are approaching the end of their service lives. Many of the older stations were also worn out by high passenger traffic, and the platforms needed to be rebuilt anyway. Throughout the pandemic, service was reduced to three-car trains. However, as of December 19, 2022, four-car trains are back in service. Fares Rides taken solely within the downtown are free; the rest of the network operates under a proof of payment system, with random fare inspections. This is known as the 7th Avenue Free Fare Zone and encompasses all CTrain stations along 7th Avenue. Fares and passes could be purchased from ticket vending machines at any station. Coins, debit and credit cards can be used at the machines, but bills could not be used at the machines. Fares could also be purchased online through the MyFare app or at a Calgary Transit Customer Service Centre. Day passes and monthly passes could also be purchased. Day passes are valid until the end of service on the day of purchase and monthly passes are valid until the end of the month. Prices are reduced for seniors and students. Children under 5 years old could ride for free as well as pets. Special low-income passes and