Two passenger rail promises, detailed in Premier Danielle Smith’s mandate letter to Minister Devin Dreeshen earlier this year, were reiterated in Alberta’s Throne Speech on October 30, 2023. These are to progress the Calgary-Banff passenger rail project and to build commuter rail links around Calgary and Edmonton.
… the province also needs to significantly expand our provincial transportation and highway network and build commuter rail links between our two largest cities and their growing neighbouring communities and airports.
We need to decongest our highways to Kananaskis and Banff with a passenger rail tie between the Calgary airport, downtown Calgary and Canmore/Banff.
And yes, we need to start planning for the inevitable need for high-speed rail through the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor when six to seven million Albertans eventually call that corridor their home.
These investments are decades long and should not be made randomly. They must be planned carefully and in an integrated fashion to ensure the most efficient and timely use of tax dollars. Alberta’s government intends to do just that.
Speech from the throne delivered by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, AOE, B.Sc., LLD (hon) to open the first session of the 31st legislature, October 30, 2023.
The suggestion that a corridor population of six or seven million would be needed to justify reinstating a Calgary-Edmonton rail link should also be read in the context of Alberta’s population projections, which suggest this figure could be achieved by the mid-to-late 2030s, in which case the time to start work on the rail link is today. Alberta is also attracting many younger residents, a demographic which is interested in having access to modern and efficient passenger rail and wasting less time stuck in traffic behind the wheel of a car. Welcoming this increase in population, while also keeping the cost of living reasonable, will require an increased focus on building denser, transit-oriented neighbourhoods.
Integrated planning, ensuring the commuter rail links to Airdrie and Leduc are forward-compatible with a future intercity service, will save Albertan taxpayers a great deal of money in the long run, and deliver a return on their investment sooner. Because entry into the major cities is one of the most complex parts of the project, operating an integrated commuter and intercity service, rather than two separate commuter services with separate fleets, spare pools, and maintenance centres, may also offer Alberta the best value for money.
Photo credit: Alberta Newsroom via Flickr