Trains connecting Calgary airport to downtown, Banff, Edmonton even some nearby communities are part of Alberta’s passenger rail master plan. Rail lines connecting Calgary and Edmonton’s airports to their city cores will be the first projects in the province’s passenger rail master plan, because that’s what Albertans flagged as a priority. “The work that we are doing right now will set Alberta on the right track for a passenger rail network that will support economic growth and improve our quality of life here in Alberta for generations to come,” said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta Transportation Minister. These sections should be relatively simple to build compared to Albertans’ second priority: high-speed rail between Edmonton and Calgary, which will be built on undeveloped land. “Highway 2 is so busy and so congested so it just makes sense,” said Aurora from Calgary in support of a rail line between her home city and provincial capital." Passenger Rail Plan Alberta’s 30 year passenger rail plan took two years to create and provides the momentum many have been hoping for. “In this first step, a rail link to the downtown to YYC [Calgary Airport] will ensure Albertans and Calgary, and have this easy access to the airport, while also providing the same accessibility to visitors and business travelers as they visit our incredible city and region,” said Chris Dinsdale, Calgary Airport president and CEO. Feeder trains to communities including Airdire and Cochrane are also part of the plan and a train between Calgary and Banff. Two years ago a private group, Calgary Airport Banff Rail, proposed building this section at no cost to the province if the government builds the rail between the airport and Calgary core. That group plans to renew the proposal and says the project would only involve twinning existing tracks so could be up and running in a few years. “I would say the gun has gone off now, and so that’s about five years, so we should be able to have people running in 2031,” said Adam Waterous with Calgary Airport Banff Rail. If their proposal goes through, he says passengers might be able to ride the train to Banff for about $20 to $30 or splurge $200 to $300 for business class. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said that after years and years of talk about building a passenger rail system in Alberta, he’s thrilled to see it nearing reality. “Calgary is Canada’s fastest-growing major city. As we continue to welcome new residents and businesses, we need infrastructure that matches our ambition,” Farkas said in a statement. “A modern passenger rail network would strengthen tourism, support economic growth, create jobs, reduce pressure on our transportation network, and better connect our region.” Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack also said he was excited. Having a train to the airport would be “transformative” for the province’s capital, he said. Great option for tourists Kyle De Leon from California just visited Banff and thinks a train from Calgary core and airport would be a great option for tourists. “I mean everything over in Banff is pretty walkable so the need for a car isn’t really necessary unless you’re coming from Calgary, so I think it would be a pretty good idea,” De Leon said. The province says the airport train would connect to Calgary’s Blue Line LRT extension. Alberta’s full passenger rail vision could cost at least $60 billion. Over the next three years, the province plans to spend $15 million moving the project forward. “The funding will also support initial planning for a central station in downtown Calgary. This vision for a passenger rail station would connect to a future Calgary event center,” said Dreeshen. He said ideally travelers would be able to access more than one train an hour from the airport here to downtown Calgary and up to one train an hour to Banff. The Banff trains would likely be models that travel at 160 km/hr. The plan to connect Edmonton and Calgary is to use high-speed trains travelling around 320km/hr. Even with boarding time that’s expected to cut down the commute between the city cores by about 50 minutes. Despite the challenges identified, the plan says the overall network would be a money-making endeavour, with fares easily covering operating costs. It also says the rail system would eliminate 30-million tonnes of carbon emissions and avoid thousands of fatal or serious car accidents. Opposition NDP transportation critic Lorne Dach said he supports the United Conservative Party government’s vision. But he criticized the lack of detail. “Albertans deserve transparency and a real plan,” said Dach. Smith, asked if she was confident the plan would be carried out beyond her time in office, said it’ll depend on how much planning progress is made in the next few years. “You’ll have to ask me again in a year-and-a-half what my optimism is, but it’s pretty high right now.” With files from The Canadian Press and Dayne Patterson
