Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wrote Calgary Major Jyoti Gondek Tuesday, asking to “work together to explore the option of expanding Calgary’s LRT system to the Calgary International Airport [YYC] and for the potential creation of a rail link between Calgary and Canmore/Banff,” confirmed a spokesperson for Smith.
Smith posted the full text of the letter on her Twitter
account. The Nov. 15 letter said Calgary is a critical provincial hub for energy and technology, with people moving to Calgary for jobs, affordable housing, “and of course, proximity to our breathtaking mountain parks.” The premier envisions hydrogen-powered locomotives, which would reduce emissions and would “make Alberta a world leader in hydrogen technology research, development, and manufacturing.”
Smith said Calgary needs to continue to develop public transit and expand the C-Train network. She said a rail line would boost international and local tourism and reduce the amount of vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway between Calgary and Banff.
‘World Class City’
The premier said YYC is increasing in size and as such, domestic and international traffic is also expected to grow. “A direct link between YYC and downtown via the C-Train network should be a transportation priority for both our governments,” said Smith.She added that the city and province can work together, potentially with private companies, to create a new rail link. She said it would significantly boost international and domestic tourism while improving road safety and reducing strain on Highway 1 between Calgary and Banff.
“Calgary is a world class city; it should be connected to our province’s world-class parks,” Smith said.
Gondek told reporters she is open to conversation with Smith. “The idea of having a link from the airport to downtown and perhaps to Banff, really interesting idea,” she
told reporters. The mayor called it “very good news for Calgary.”
“We need to avoid being short-sighted as a province—we have lost an Olympics, the World Cup, have an ancient stadium in Calgary and have chronic gridlock to one of the greatest tourist attractions on the planet, Banff and K-Country,” Smith
told reporters.
$1.5 Billion Passenger Train
A private company, Liricon Capital Inc., first
proposed a $1.5 billion passenger train in 2021 to connect Calgary to Banff. It would require a $30 million annual, capped commitment from the province. That $30 million provincial contribution would not go toward capital costs, if the project was approved—half would be funded by the Canada Infrastructure Bank with the other half covered by Liricon itself, its project partner Plenary Associates, and debt financing.
Instead, the $30 million annually for an approximately 50-year span would help to cover the project’s mortgage, making the province the ultimate owner of the train. The proposal
stalled while Jason Kenney was premier, before Liricon capped the cost to the government.
This particular proposal would lease track in the existing freight corridor of the Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., but would require twinning of the tracks already in place, at an estimated completion time of three years.
Preliminary plans
proposed a 150-kilometre rail line from the airport heading south, running parallel to existing CP tracks running west along Deerfoot Trail, and crossing the Bow River on an existing bridge. The Liricon proposal suggested 10 trains a day to the mountains, with stops at the Calgary International Airport, Calgary’s downtown, near Stoney Trail where it meets the Trans-Canada highway, and in the towns of Cochrane, Morley, Canmore, and ultimately Banff.
Calgary has plans to connect the LRT with the international airport, at a cost
estimated in 2020 to run $1.8 billion.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
