The all-aboard whistle sounds now for the first of two virtual sessions on a master plan for passenger rail service in Alberta, taking place tonight at 7 p.m.
Following are a few takeaways from the 50-plus-page executive summary that’s been released.
Beyond the Edmonton-Calgary corridor, rural Alberta rail hubs are a long way off.
The 30-year horizon focuses mostly on the corridor between Edmonton and Calgary, envisioning a long-discussed high-speed link between the two cities and all-day, high-frequency commuter services connecting them to bedroom communities and their international airports.
Commuter service for Calgary could extend as far south as High River, the plan suggests.
Trains to further afield communities like Crowsnest Pass, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are identified as 60-year possibilities in the plan. Among others on the 60-year horizon are Grande Prairie, Camrose, Lloydminster, Jasper, Rocky Mountain House, Lacombe, Sylvan Lake, Wetaskiwin and Drumheller.
The plan qualifies its mapping this way: “Maps are conceptual and do not show exact routing or station locations.”
Even Fort McMurray misses the 30-year cutoff.
Travel safety, traffic levels and highway capacity and quality to and from Wood Buffalo have long been an issue in the oilsands centre. Yet Fort McMurray is so far named as only a 60-year possibility for passenger rail service.
The plan summary was released almost a month before Mark Carney and Danielle Smith on July 2 announced a pipeline route through B.C. to the coast.
Regional service within 30 years — which would be higher speed than commuter trains but not as fast as the Edmonton-Red Deer-Calgary service — would connect Calgary and Banff with at least a train an hour.
A similar service to Jasper appears on the 60-year horizon.
The summary expends about four-fifths of its space setting a detailed and elaborate stage.
In 39 pages of front-loading, the summary defines what the plan explores and how it got there, what some of the major challenges and constraints in Alberta are, population growth and more.
Consultants and partners are named, the engagement process and results are covered, types of rail service are defined, and objectives are listed.
Those objectives are to “examine the feasibility” and “crystallize a vision” for passenger rail, while also producing a governance model.
The plan predicts that the Edmonton-Calgary corridor population will grow by about 3.7 million people to about 8.1 million in total in 60 years.
The entire rest of the province is projected to grow by 400,000 people to 1.4 million.
Potential costs and ridership projections using existing or new rail corridors are compared.
A centralized Crown agency led by the government would run the show.
The agency would develop infrastructure, oversee daily operations and maintenance, develop a fare collection and booking system, and plan for expansion.
The master plan represents an estimated $60 billion in spending in 2025 dollars to make its 30-year network a reality. The estimate covers trains, stations, tracks, land, maintenance and storage facilities, and governance.
The plan predicts collaborations with private companies.
Visit alberta.ca/passenger-rail to register for tonight’s 90-minute on-line session. A second session will take place sometime in the fall.
