Alberta Takes First Step Toward Passenger Rail Network

Alberta is taking its first step toward building a provincial passenger rail network, with plans that include a higher-speed rail connection between Calgary and Banff.

Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen announced June 5 that the province will invest $15 million over three years to begin implementing Alberta's Passenger Rail Master Plan, a long-term vision that includes rail connections between Alberta's major cities, airports and tourist destinations. According to the province, the funding will support planning for airport rail connections, a future downtown Calgary passenger rail station, and engagement with private-sector partners on financing and implementation.

Smith said the long-term vision includes rail service to Alberta's mountain parks.

"A passenger rail line from Calgary to our national parks, complete with the breathtaking mountain view that tourists flock to Alberta for, would boost our continued work to grow our visitor economy," she said.

The Passenger Rail Master Plan identifies a higher-speed rail service between Calgary and Banff as part of a proposed 30-year network. The plan envisions trains travelling at more than 160 kilometres per hour, with service operating as frequently as once per hour, and estimates a travel time of about 70 minutes between downtown Calgary and Banff.

The master plan projects approximately 18,000 daily passenger trips on the Calgary-Banff corridor by 2055. Calgary-Banff rail has been discussed for years as a way to reduce vehicle traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway and provide an alternative transportation option for visitors travelling to Banff National Park.

The plan estimates a higher-speed Calgary-Banff rail corridor would cost approximately $22 billion in 2025, while a conventional rail option would cost about $13 billion. Despite those costs, the report recommends retaining Calgary-Banff rail as part of Alberta's long-term network because of expected passenger demand, regional travel demand and integration with the broader transportation system.

The announcement was welcomed by Adam Waterous, chairman of Liricon Capital Ltd., which has spent years advancing the proposed Calgary Airport-Banff Rail project.

"The starting gun for the Calgary Airport Banff Rail project just went off," said Waterous.

Waterous said the Bow Valley Corridor Alliance, representing Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore and Banff, has been pressing the province to study passenger rail options since 2016.

"After 10 years of study, the province has, for the very first time, moved this from analysis to implementation," he said.

According to Waterous, Alberta's announcement delivered several key elements the Calgary Airport-Banff Rail proposal needed, including confirmation that an airport-to-downtown Calgary connection is a provincial priority, a commitment to involve the private sector in developing passenger rail infrastructure, and completion of the Passenger Rail Master Plan, allowing Liricon to resubmit its proposal.

Waterous said Liricon submitted a proposal to the province nearly two years ago for an airport-to-downtown Calgary rail segment that could eventually extend to Banff. He said the province would not consider the proposal until the Passenger Rail Master Plan was completed.

"Now that they've done so, we'll now resubmit our proposal," Waterous said.

Bruce Graham, executive director of Friends of CABR (Calgary Airport-Banff Rail), said the completion of the Passenger Rail Master Plan removes a major obstacle that had prevented passenger rail proposals from moving forward.

"Time is of the essence," he said. "They’ve always said to us that we're not in a position to move forward because we have to complete the master plan."

With the plan now complete, Graham said Friends of CABR wants to see the province quickly engage private-sector proponents and advance projects toward construction.

Waterous said Liricon believes a Calgary-Banff service could be operating by 2031 if the project receives provincial and private-sector support, a timeline considerably shorter than the province's 30-year vision for a broader Alberta rail network.

Smith acknowledged the overall network would take decades to build but said the province was ready to begin moving from planning to implementation.

"Every journey begins with the first step. And today, we're taking ours," she said.