The Government of Alberta announced Calgary will be connected by rail to major tourism and economic hubs in a 15-year plan to expand transportation options for Albertans and visitors to the province.
Premier Danielle Smith announced the passenger rail master plan on April 29, which included a Crown corporation to operate like Ontario’s Metrolinx to develop rail infrastructure, oversee daily operations, collect fares and provide bookings, and plan for future expansion.
Among the destinations included in the announcement would be from Calgary to Edmonton, a connector to the Calgary International Airport, and Calgary to Banff.
“We want to build stronger connections along Alberta’s busiest corridor and to Alberta’s top tourist destination,” said Premier Smith.
“I mentioned the lack of rail connections to Alberta’s two primary airports from downtown core but we’re looking into more than that. We don’t want to leave those in surrounding communities on the outside of these mobility solutions.”
Premier Smith said that the province had to step in to create a master plan for rail travel in the province, because of all of the different stakeholders involved.
“We see the value in a commuter passenger line that connects folks in those communities to the Calgary airport and then on to the downtown core. In the case of Airdrie, for a more streamlined and relaxed commute. We believe that a solution like that will also work in Edmonton and the entire capital region,” Smith said.
Premier Smith said that the province had received multiple unsolicited proposals for rail and transportation networks in the province, including that of a Hyperloop between Calgary and Edmonton.
“We got to thinking, what happens, how do these all integrate together, and who’s going to lead the discussions talking to the City of Calgary and the City of Edmonton? who’s going to lead the discussions talking to CN and CP about using their right of way? How are we going to solve the problem of the choke point getting into downtown. It seemed to us that that was really only us who could do it,” she said.
Feasibility study first step in rail project
She said that a feasibility study would scope out the cost of the rail system, and compare the potential billions in development costs to that of creating six, eight, and 10-lane highways in the province.
“Plus, we want to leverage our private sector partners as much as we possibly can, if we can create the provincial initiative that will solve some of the choke points coming into the downtowns,” she said.
Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, said that analysis would look at the transportation needs well into the next decade.
He said that the rail plan would be broken out into six different phases, consisting of two commuter rail plans for Calgary and Edmonton to their respective airports and surrounding communities, a high-speed rail line from Calgary to Edmonton with a stop in Red Deer, and tourism lines going to Banff and Jasper.
Other connected cities would include Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, and other southern Alberta communities.
“This master plan will look forward decades and we’ll identify concrete actions that can be taken now to build the optimal passenger rail network for Alberta,” said Minister Dreeshen.
“As part of the master plan, our government will engage a wide variety of stakeholders including Albertans to gain their perspectives. The input received throughout the development of the master rail plan is critical to its success.”
Under the province’s 2024 budget, $9 million was set aside to create a rail master plan.
The time is right for rail, says Premier
Speaking on the feasibility of a province-wide rail project, Premier Smith pointed to the population sizes of Ontario cities when commuter rail service was introduced in that province.
“When I visited the Metrolinx in Ontario, one of the things that they told me in that very first commuter line they did between Oakville and Pickering, they established that, and I think it was 1968 when the Toronto area was 1.6 million people,” she said.
“We’re kind of in that zone in both the Edmonton area and the Calgary area, which is why we want to look at the pieces that make the most sense right off the top.”
She said there was also an expectation from tourists, like those visiting Vancouver, that there is rail service available for them.
“I think there’s an expectation for tourists that when they arrive at the airport, they should be able to efficiently get downtown with rail.”
Premier Smith said that in terms of likely implementation, commuter lines would come first, followed by the airport lines.
“We’ll have to get some advice on when it’s feasible to build it out between Calgary and Edmonton airports,” she said.
The rail plan, said Minister Dreeshen, would be a first of its kind as a holistic examination of rail service in the province. Previous studies, including several going back to the start of the 1980s, have looked at rail service in Alberta.
Both Minister Dreeshen and Premier Smith emphasized the need for private industry to become involved in the provincial development of rail service.
Construction would still be at least several years away from starting, Dreeshen said.
“If there are any provincial construction dollars, it’s kind of that budget ’26 time period, and then construction is assumed best-case scenario by 2027.”
