Proposed Calgary to Banff passenger train

[Northwestern]

I hope the possibility of a Banff to Calgary passenger train will eventually become a reality:

Calgary to Banff passenger train could be government subsidy free: proponent

the lead private-sector proponent of a proposed Calgary to Banff passenger train says updated rider projections show it could be a success without annual sub...

is.gd

Any chance the VIA Canadian could split at Kamloops....one leg to Edmonton and the other to Calgary?

 

[jiml]

Any chance the VIA Canadian could split at Kamloops....one leg to Edmonton and the other to Calgary?

None.

 

[zephyr17]

I hope the possibility of a Banff to Calgary passenger train will eventually become a reality:

Calgary to Banff passenger train could be government subsidy free: proponent

the lead private-sector proponent of a proposed Calgary to Banff passenger train says updated rider projections show it could be a success without annual sub...

is.gd

Any chance the VIA Canadian could split at Kamloops....one leg to Edmonton and the other to Calgary?

Sure there is chance. There is a chance I will win a billion dollars in the lottery.

It's not a very good one, though.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

Not much detail there. Does anyone here know more about this proposal?

 

[jiml]

Not much detail there. Does anyone here know more about this proposal?

The proposal seems to change every couple of years. The current one is a hydrogen-powered Flirt (or similar model) running on separate tracks in the CP ROW with a connection to the YYC airport. This has the backing of the provincial government but relies heavily on federal infrastructure money for construction. AFAIK the only CP involvement is use of their station in Banff and payment of royalties for use of their land. Whether they'd be involved in operation or day-to-day maintenance has not been spelled out anywhere I could find. Definitely not a VIA train though.

 

[jiml]

Here's some more detail. I think what the article posted above is saying is that there may not be a subsidy needed to operate the train, however there certainly seems to be a lot of government money needed for construction, and even extending the Calgary LRT to the airport would all come from taxpayers.

Premier Smith touts 'potential' of hydrogen-powered passenger train to Banff

A proposed passenger rail line linking Calgary International Airport to Banff is part of a new economic mandate from the Alberta government.

calgaryherald.com

There's a provincial election upcoming in Alberta. It will be interesting to see where this lands once it's over. Right now Alberta and the feds don't play nice and both have other priorities.

 

[Northwestern]

Alberta says it's not quite ready to approve funding for the project. Half of the proposed cost of the project (1.5 billion) would be covered by the Canada Infrastructure bank. The development concern (and contributor) would be Liricon Capital. Liricon owns a ski resort north of Banff and has a long term lease for the Banff train station. The new train, by some, would see 11 million passengers per year.

The train stops would be:

Calgary Airport
Downtown Calgary
Calgary Keith
Cochrane
Morley
Canmore
Banff

Ten departures per day according to some sources.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

That's ambitious, well that's one word for it.

 

[jiml]

It is important to remember that plans like this come and go every couple of years. This one has garnered attention with an eco-friendly "flavor of the month" vibe and the suggestion of less government money to make it happen. Alberta is known for two things - low taxes and its oil industry, neither of which really factor into this proposal, and infrastructure investments of this scope are not really a thing there. In cities like Toronto or Chicago, for example, this would simply be another commuter rail line connecting to the well-established networks. In Calgary there is no network to speak of and this line is hardly the basis for one. It is a niche aimed mostly at tourists and attracting more of them. Whether it is viable year-round is a big question. A higher priority for Albertans is the oft-discussed line between Calgary and Edmonton, or even the procrastinated improvements to the highway between the two. They don't go to Banff.

 

[Northwestern]

I hope there will still be a possibility of a Calgary to Edmonton passenger train. I believe there has been a question of whether it would garner enough passengers to make the train a reasonable endeavor. I would be happy with a conventional train, not high speed. I once considered the VIA Canadian from Vancouver to Jasper, then a bus to Edmonton and then a bus down to Calgary. The Edmonton to Calgary bus, alone, would be a good 3.5 hours. Too long on a bus for me.

I also wonder how they predicted 11 million passengers per year. That's about 30,000 a day! Seems a little high.

I am very enthusiastic about a Calgary airport to Banff train. The only thing about the new train, which would be a problem for me, would be if the train caused a huge increase in tourists in and around the Banff area. I took the old "Canadian" train, back in the 1970's, from Vancouver to Banff. Back then, Banff was still a pretty small town or hamlet. I visited Banff a couple of years ago, and I couldn't believe the growth of the town. Banff has lost its small-town charm; just too many buildings and tourists.

 

[jiml]

The only thing about the new train, which would be a problem for me, would be if the train caused a huge increase in tourists in and around the Banff area. I took the old "Canadian" train, back in the 1970's, from Vancouver to Banff. Back then, Banff was still a pretty small town or hamlet. I visited Banff a couple of years ago, and I couldn't believe the growth of the town. Banff has lost its small-town charm; just too many buildings and tourists.

That's the problem I was alluding to. I have family and friends in the Calgary area. When they want to hike, ski or just take in the mountain beauty they don't go to Banff, and a train there isn't going to help with the overcrowding and high prices. It's a wonderful place geared to American and wealthy Asian tourists; the locals go elsewhere. That said, if they build it I will ride it.