The province's decision to move forward with a master passenger rail plan was the first domino that needed to fall to get the ball rolling on the Calgary-to-Banff project, according to proponents of the initiative.
Province Unveils Ambitious Rail Network
Plans are moving forward on an Alberta passenger rail network, and although the first phase will focus on connections between Calgary and Edmonton, those involved in a Calgary-to-Banff proposal say it is great news for them as well.
The first step will be connecting Calgary and Edmonton's airports to their respective downtown cores, which will then allow for high-speed rail to be built between the cities. Premier Danielle Smith announced Friday that the master plan, which could eventually see connections from Calgary to Banff, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, and from Edmonton to Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray, will take around 30 years to complete.
Private Sector Invited to Propose
That timeline has not dampened the spirits of those involved with the Calgary Airport to Banff Rail (CABR) proposal, put forward by Banff-based Liricon Capital and infrastructure investor Plenary Americas.
“We’re full steam ahead,” said Bruce Graham, executive director of the Friends of CABR, an advocacy group for the project. “What we’ve been told … is that they are opening this up for private-sector proposals. They want to see what can be delivered at what cost, and quite frankly, we’re taking it as a tremendous opportunity.”
The province's decision to move forward with the plan, beginning with airport connections, was the first domino that needed to fall to get the ball rolling on the Calgary-to-Banff project. The CABR proposal has been submitted to the province in various forms, the first in November 2021. Now that the province is pulling the trigger on bringing the plan to life, Graham said, they will be resubmitting the proposal “imminently.”
“Right now I think we’re the only one that’s looking at downtown to Banff, but others could come forward,” he said. “We will follow whatever process the province puts in front of us, but we’re clearly ready to go and anxious to move forward.”
Airport-to-Downtown Connection Key
The other piece of the puzzle is that the CABR is contingent on the province building out express service from the airport to downtown Calgary, so the province's plan to prioritize that connection, Graham said, is a positive sign.
“We’re ready to roll, as soon as the province can find its way to get airport-to-downtown service done,” he said. “The premier’s indicated that’s their priority, and she’s been absolutely consistent on that.”
Once the airport is connected to downtown, CABR will build it out to Banff at no cost to the province.
“We can basically provide two services for the price of one if they can get on that … provided they give us three trains an hour on their airport to downtown line,” he said.
The proposal has garnered interest from the federal government as a solution to traffic and parking congestion in Banff, Graham said, and the mayors of Cochrane, Canmore and Banff have voiced their support.
