On Sept. 28, the Government of Alberta announced it will begin seeking proposals from private companies to build a high-speed passenger rail line between Calgary and Edmonton.
Premier Danielle Smith made the announcement at Heritage Park, outlining plans for the rail line that would also serve Calgary International Airport.
The province will be launching a request for proposals and the process will involve seeking a project that will require minimal provincial funding.
The province and the chosen private-sector partner will determine whether the project could be viable.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government established the Major Projects Office in Calgary last year with the goal of speeding along infrastructure that is deemed to be in the national interest.
The federal government will work with Alberta once a private-sector partner is chosen.
“I don’t think we could have been able to announce this without all three levels of government cooperating with each other,” said Smith according to Calgary City News.
According to the province, a high-speed rail line could cut travel times between Calgary and Edmonton to less than two hours and would have room for 400-700 passengers.
Alberta first signaled to pursue major passenger rail development nearly two years ago, due to the rapid population growth in Calgary. The province is investing $15 million over three years to advance the planning phase of the passenger rail system.
Smith said the first part of this plan is to connect the two cities as well as line to the two largest airports in Alberta. The passenger rail master plan will also look to connect a rail network to existing light-rail transit (LRT) systems.
This master plan was initially slated to come out last summer but has faced a number of delays.
“A feasible passenger rail network is no longer just a vision for Alberta. It’s a goal,” Smith said according to the Edmonton Journal.
Transportation Minister, Devin Dreeshen, did not indicate what the cost will be for the initial rail line or signify a timeline for when the line will be built due to financing options still being developed.
Eleanor Olszewski, the Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada says that both Ottawa and Alberta will collaborate on the project and will communicate to Indigenous communities, the municipal governments and the public to understand the costs and effects of this high-speed rail system.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas released a video statement on social media talking about the proposal.
“The federal government just yesterday committed to working with Alberta through its major projects office,” Farkas explained, “The idea is to connect Downtown Calgary, Red Deer, and Downtown Edmonton, with trains traveling up to 320 kilometers an hour. That would put Calgary and Edmonton about one hour and forty-five minutes apart. Think about what that would mean for our economy.”
Farkas also discussed Alberta’s population growth and connecting all Albertans.
“Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton are home to roughly eighty percent of Alberta's population, and bringing those communities closer together would make it easier for all of us to work, study, visit family, and do business across the province,” Farkas continued. “For Calgary though, there's another piece that I think we need to get right.”
Farkas also covered how this will impact Calgary communities.
“If we're gonna make this kind of investment, we should make sure it connects properly into Calgary itself. That means connecting with Calgary Transit, getting people into our downtown, and importantly, finally establishing a passenger rail connection to the Calgary International Airport,” Farkas concluded. “We're heading toward a province of six million people, and Calgary itself is growing toward two million. We need transportation infrastructure that matches that growth.”
The federal government will be seeking private investors from September to November of this year, expecting to select a private company by April of 2027.
