Alberta eyes downtown-to-airport trains as first key project of passenger rail plan

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

CALGARY — Alberta’s government is eyeing train connections for airports to the downtown cores of its two biggest cities as the first key project of the province’s new passenger rail plan.

But construction isn’t expected to start any time soon, as the government says it will spend $15 million over the next three years to advance planning efforts.

The province’s new passenger rail master plan was two years in the making.

Three decades from now it sees an Alberta with high-speed rail between Edmonton and Calgary, and trains connecting Calgary to the Rocky Mountains resort town of Banff.

It also sees trains potentially connecting Edmonton and Calgary to surrounding suburbs.

Premier Danielle Smith says the airport connections are the most feasible projects in the short term and a major priority the government heard from Albertans.

She says major infrastructure isn’t built overnight and requires thoughtful planning and partnerships.

The government’s rail plan says the full build out could cost at least $60 billion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press