Preliminary plans for passenger train service connecting Banff with Calgary airport remain on track
A proposed rail service for transporting passengers between Banff National Park and Calgary International Airport, with several stops in between, is one step closer to coming to fruition.
Invest Alberta announced Thursday that another memorandum of understanding had been reached involving Alberta Transportation and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) regarding the service.
The initial MOU was signed in June 2020 and the latest agreement took into consideration the results of a recently conducted project feasibility study.
According to Invest Alberta, the CIB has reaffirmed its support and willingness to consider a long-term investment in the project. There has also been strong private sector interest in the project including an unsolicited proposal from a prospective project developer.
Should the project materialize, the proposed passenger train service is expected to bolster tourism opportunities, increase the potential labour pool for businesses in Banff, decrease traffic volume in the townsite and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The YYC-Calgary-Banff rail project has the potential to be the first airport-to-mountain community transit solution of its kind in North America, making Alberta an even more compelling destination for global visitors year-round," said Premier Jason Kenney in statement released Thursday.
The stops along the proposed 150-kilometre line within the existing CP Rail corridor would potentially include:
- Calgary International Airport;
- Downtown Calgary;
- Calgary Keith;
- Cochrane;
- Morley/Stoney Nakoda;
- Canmore; and,
- Banff.
Current plans could see up to 10 departures from the airport to Banff each day as well as the potential for running an express service between the airport and downtown Calgary four times an hour.
Karen Sorensen, Banff's mayor, says the potential return of passenger rail between Calgary and Banff would improve the overall experience for people visiting Canada's first national Park.
"Bow Valley communities have been working to bring back affordable mass transit for a number of years and we are excited to see progress on development of an environmentally-responsible service that would connect workers with jobs throughout the valley, reduce vehicle emissions, and provide a fantastic way to enjoy this special place in the Rockies."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.