Alberta plans to seek private-sector proposals for a high-speed railway connecting Calgary and Edmonton and expects to select a proponent by April 2027.<\/p>\n
The province plans to launch a formal request for proposals (RFP) this fall for a line running from downtown Calgary through Red Deer to downtown Edmonton.<\/p>\n
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The proposed project would also include service to Airdrie, Calgary International Airport and Edmonton International Airport.<\/p>\n
But the eventual project cost, provincial contribution and construction timeline remain unsettled.<\/p>\n
The province says the successful proposal will be expected to include minimal financial investment by the Alberta government and integrate with existing passenger rail systems in Calgary and Edmonton.<\/p>\n
What could high-speed rail cost?<\/p>\n
Asked about the eventual project cost and how much Alberta could contribute, Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen said those answers remain unknown.<\/p>\n
He said costs could vary significantly depending on the proposals and their proposed locations within the cities served. The amount of provincial investment proposed will also be one factor when submissions are evaluated.<\/p>\n
Alberta’s completed Passenger Rail Master Plan estimated construction and vehicle costs of $38 billion in 2025 dollars for a broader higher-speed Edmonton-Calgary network that included regional service through Red Deer and connecting commuter services.<\/p>\n
That figure is not a cost estimate for the specific high-speed rail project announced Monday.<\/p>\n
The $38-billion estimate includes estimated land costs and carries an accuracy range of plus 100 per cent to minus 50 per cent, which the Master Plan says is consistent with the current stage of planning.<\/p>\n
For comparison, the Master Plan estimated a conventional option largely following an existing freight rail corridor at $25 billion.<\/p>\n
Monday’s announcement did not put a dollar amount on what “minimal” provincial investment could ultimately mean.<\/p>\n
Private sector already involved in rail planning<\/p>\n
Dreeshen said companies have been forming consortiums bringing together railway operators, builders and engineering firms.<\/p>\n
“It would be the largest infrastructure project in the province’s history,” he said.<\/p>\n
Alberta held an industry webinar in July and planned one-on-one consultations with equity providers, contractors and engineering firms between August and October.<\/p>\n
Provincial industry-engagement material says Alberta has been examining whether private companies could finance, deliver, operate and maintain all or part of the broader passenger rail network with no or significantly limited government funding.<\/p>\n
Premier Danielle Smith said the province had previously heard from at least three private-sector proponents interested in different parts of Alberta’s passenger rail plans.<\/p>\n
Where does Ottawa fit in?<\/p>\n
Monday’s announcement did not include a federal funding commitment.<\/p>\n
Canada and Alberta say the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton high-speed rail initiative will be referred to the federal Major Projects Office.<\/p>\n
The two governments also plan to establish a joint governance structure to guide collaboration, information sharing, planning and due diligence as the project advances.<\/p>\n
The federal government said the structure will also explore near-term steps to assess market interest and implementation opportunities, including potential market-sounding activities.<\/p>\n
The governments say they will engage Indigenous communities, municipalities, industry, investors, stakeholders and the public as work progresses.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Monday’s announcement on behalf of federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, Prairies Economic Development Canada Minister Eleanor Olszewski said further work is needed to understand the project’s costs, benefits and impacts.<\/p>\n
What would the railway actually look like?<\/p>\n
Under the province’s current vision, high-speed trains could reach speeds of up to 320 kilometres per hour.<\/p>\n
The Passenger Rail Master Plan estimates a trip from downtown Edmonton to downtown Calgary could take about one hour and 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
In the Master Plan, the high-speed greenfield option assumes electric trains running on two dedicated passenger tracks in a brand-new rail corridor, rather than primarily using existing freight railway infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The Master Plan identifies extensive land acquisition as one of the challenges associated with that approach.<\/p>\n
The Master Plan’s maps are conceptual and do not show exact routes or station locations.<\/p>\n
When could passengers actually ride it?<\/p>\n
The province did not announce a construction or opening date Monday.<\/p>\n
Smith said prospective proponents are expected to provide timelines through their proposals.<\/p>\n
Alberta plans to launch the RFP this fall and select a proponent by April 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alberta plans to seek private-sector proposals for a high-speed railway connecting Calgary and Edmonton and expects to select…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":913552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-913551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/913551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=913551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/913551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/913552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=913551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=913551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=913551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}