Infrastructure bank, Alberta agree to closer study of Calgary-Banff rail project

The proposed line would run on new dedicated tracks within CP Rail’s existing corridor. PHOTO: Getty Images

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and the government of Alberta will be putting a possible new rail line between Calgary and the nearby resort town of Banff under the microscope.

The federal crown corporation and Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Calgary-Banff Rail project June 9, agreeing to carry out further study and due diligence on the proposed 130-kilometre passenger line. For now, the deal stops well short of any commitment to building the project, but will determine the feasibility of a train between the Calgary airport and the mountain-encircled tourist hub.

Marc Garneau, the federal minister of Transport, said the line would give both tourists and locals another option for getting to Banff.

“A sustainable and commuter-centric transport system is essential to serve the growing travel demands of both tourists and Albertans alike,” he said in a release. “The new rail service would take cars off the road and increase the mobility of visitors and commuters to the park in a stress-free way.”

Early plans for the rail service between Calgary International Airport and Banff include four additional stops — in downtown Calgary, as well as in Cochrane, Morley and Canmore. The CIB said a new set of dedicated tracks would be laid within the Canadian Pacific Railway’s existing corridor. Along with service to Banff, the network could support express trains between Calgary’s airport and its downtown.

The commitment to further assessing the project comes after a feasibility study completed last year into mass transit options that would alleviate worsening traffic between Calgary and the nearby national park. That study estimated costs to build the new rail line at between $660 and $680 million. Though similar, the scopes of the projects are not directly comparable.