After the federal government pledged $1.5 billion towards the City of Calgary's long sought-after Green Line LRT extension, the common topic of conversation in Okotoks is what it could mean for the town.

The Somerset-Bridlewood station in Southwest Calgary is currently the most southern stop for the LRT line, but the Green Line, which would cover Calgary's Southeast, would extend as far as Seton.

For Okotoks residents who commute to downtown Calgary via the LRT system, it means a much easier time finding parking, and another option for an easily-accessible spot to catch the train to work.

Okotoks' Deputy Mayor Ed Sands says although the Green Line won't actually be completed for at least 10 years, the announcement alone is positive news for the Town.

He says it once again brings up the topic of possibly extending the line out to Okotoks, which of course would be a huge step forward for Okotoks, especially in terms of growth.

"If you ran an LRT connection down (to Okotoks), it may not have to be every train that hits Calgary, but even if it's once an hour and it would be predicative and scheduled connections out here, I think our residents would jump behind that, absolutely."

Sands says while it would cater to current residents who commute to Calgary, it's hard to say whether it would actually increase the Town's population.

"Would it attract new people to Okotoks who would then use the LRT to commute? That's perhaps speculative," he says. "What I would like to think is it would take cars off the road, and allow existing residents who are commuting by vehicle to use the LRT."

With the thought of an LRT line in Okotoks nothing but a pipe dream at this point, Sands says the Town is working on a more immediate improvement for commuters.

"We're looking at transportation right now," he says. "A kind-of South-Regional transit project is being viewed by Okotoks, and we're anticipating a fairly quick kick-off on that."

The transit project is through the Calgary Regional Partnership, with High River, Black Diamond, Turner Valley and Nanton also expressing interest.