[heightjunkie]

It is likely too small, and the demand too diffuse (Edmonton, Calgary, & Saskatoon), and too far away from Calgary and Edmonton.

Calgary and Edmonton we should hopefully start hearing things publicly soonish. An unsolicited private proposal is in the works and the province finally has a framework to deal with those types of proposals instead of needing to drag the province along and build exceptions to processes at every step previously.

The demand was enough for multiple daily flights from Ed-Saskatoon on westjet. I could see that being picked up entirely by a good rail service.

and while I am certainly excited to know more about this private proposal, I am tired of being mired in the idea that it absolutely needs an economic case. The government historically can be used to create transformative infrastructure pieces with no certain economic case. The economic case can grow as a result of the initial infrastructure investment. We are entering a period where I think we need to decouple talk of infrastructure spending from pure economic case today.

 

[heightjunkie]

The demand was enough for multiple daily flights from Ed-Saskatoon on westjet. I could see that being picked up entirely by a good rail service.

and while I am certainly excited to know more about this private proposal, I am tired of being mired in the idea that it absolutely needs an economic case. The government historically can be used to create transformative infrastructure pieces with no certain economic case. The economic case can grow as a result of the initial infrastructure investment. We are entering a period where I think we need to decouple talk of infrastructure spending from pure economic case today.

Imagine, for example, that the 1.2 billion the government spent on Keystone XL was instead invested in creating HSR between Calgary and Edmonton. That's almost half what was needed for a full greenfield project iirc. That would have created 1000s of jobs over the next decade for AB and we would have a significant piece of infrastructure to show for it. No one would have been able to cancel it!

 

[darwink]

I could see that being picked up entirely by a good rail service.

The key there is what is good for O&D? Same day return with useful time in-between? How many of those flights are O&D, and not connections.

 

[darwink]

Imagine, for example, that the 1.2 billion the government spent on Keystone XL was instead invested in creating HSR between Calgary and Edmonton. That's almost half what was needed for a full greenfield project iirc. That would have created 1000s of jobs over the next decade for AB and we would have a significant piece of infrastructure to show for it. No one would have been able to cancel it!

Half of a very out of date estimate It was before the 2004-2006 construction capacity constraints and cost inflation.

 

[UrbanWarrior]

I needed a map of the Calgary - Banff Train, since apparently one doesn't exist.

With Morley station included.

 

[shogged]

I think a station for Stoney would be a must have for them in any deal that includes the train going through the reserve. I wonder though, would they want a station in morley, or maybe closer to highway 40 and the casino.

 

[UrbanWarrior]

This is just what the Canadian Infrastructure Bank is proposing in their review. They'll be using the CP row, I highly doubt the Stoney, nor the feds, would allow deviation from that route just to get a station close to a casino. I think they are looking at Ozada and Seebe as station sites as well.

 

[shogged]

cool well seebe and ozada are both closer to highway 40 and in the area I was referring to which i think would be awesome. the band has floated proposals for further development around the interchange as well so maybe they will push for a station further west, you never know.

 

[darwink]

Reading an old report just now on capacity downtown:

 

[Dārayavauš]

Race to build high-speed Calgary-Edmonton rail on with second pitch

The idea of a high-speed rail connecting Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary could be one step closer to becoming a reality with a new contender showing interest in developing a line.

edmonton.ctvnews.ca

Can't wait to see this start construction! It is far more viable than the TransPod proposal.

 

[JonnyCanuck]

Reading an old report just now on capacity downtown:

View attachment 318590

An expansion to five tracks? That means CPR is planning to increase freight traffic (i.e dangerous goods) through downtown Calgary. I wonder if the city is contemplating that?

 

[darwink]

^ Yes.

Also news a coming on the Airport-Downtown-Banff Links soooooon. Very good news. CPR is playing ball.

 

[JonnyCanuck]

Race to build high-speed Calgary-Edmonton rail on with second pitch

The idea of a high-speed rail connecting Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary could be one step closer to becoming a reality with a new contender showing interest in developing a line.

edmonton.ctvnews.ca

Can't wait to see this start construction! It is far more viable than the TransPod proposal.

I am having difficulty seeing the usage justify the cost of this. Calgary to Edmonton is not London to Paris or New York to Washington. It is unlikely that either city will have a population base large enough to justify. High speed rail would probably replace the business traffic between the two cities, that is currently served by the airlines.
For leisure travel, will most people select train over driving between the two cities? I doubt it ... maybe in the winter time. Most months, it is one of the easiest, least congested drives between two major cities in North America. Most trips, you can time your arrival within 10 minutes.

 

[darwink]

I am having difficulty seeing the usage justify the cost of this. Calgary to Edmonton is not London to Paris or New York to Washington. It is unlikely that either city will have a population base large enough to justify. High speed rail would probably replace the business traffic between the two cities, that is currently served by the airlines.
For leisure travel, will most people select train over driving between the two cities? I doubt it ... maybe in the winter time. Most months, it is one of the easiest, least congested drives between two major cities in North America. Most trips, you can time your arrival within 10 minutes.

From 2013:
Ministry of Transportation:
Rob Penny, deputy minister

Penny: The corridor itself has the highest trip generation in North American city pairs, about three to four times the Toronto-Montreal trip generation rate. [In 2006 at the time of our study] the population of the Calgary-Edmonton corridor [was] around 2 and a half million – remember this is 2006, so they haven’t been updated, okay? – travel in the corridor is equivalent to a population of 8 million to 10 million people.

 

[ByeByeBaby]

I see this factoid trotted out from time to time to defend high speed rail in Alberta. But -- equally truthfully -- nobody's ever proposed a Toronto-Montreal high speed rail project and if they did it would be laughed at immediately, so I don't know why that trip generation rate would be relevant.

Or to put out a third, equally accurate factoid in the other direction, Calgary-Edmonton trip generation is about 16 times that of Toronto-Vancouver, so the travel in the corridor is really equivalent to a population of 125 million people or so.