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Premier backs train
High-speed link between Calgary and Edmonton worth studying, think-tank says
Geoffrey Scotton and Jason Fekete
Calgary Herald
Friday, May 18, 2007
A multibillion-dollar, high-speed rail link between Calgary and Edmonton took a forceful step forward Thursday after Premier Ed Stelmach threw his support behind the idea.
"We have to. We have no choice. It will reduce emissions and it's visionary. Now is the time to prepare because we have the options available to purchase land," Stelmach said.
"It's part of planning for the future -- there's no doubt about it -- as the province of Alberta continues to grow and we see more people move to Edmonton, Calgary and, of course, the Highway 2 corridor," he added.
Stelmach's comments came in the wake of a report from the Conference Board of Canada calling on the federal and provincial governments to fully investigate the costs and benefits of high-speed rail links for both the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, and between Windsor, Ont., and Quebec City.
In April, the province bought land in downtown Calgary and in Edmonton that could serve as train stations and the acquisition of property along the highway.
"I hope that our report does add weight to the argument," said Conference Board president Anne Golden. "Federal and provincial governments must seriously consider it."
The call by the Ottawa-based, privately funded economic think-tank adds momentum to the concept, which has been discussed for years but is now the subject of a $1-million market assessment study by the Alberta government, due in July. It's the latest in a series of examinations that have indicated the concept has merit.
"It's certainly a new voice. There's already a lot of attention on the idea here in Alberta," said Jerry Bellikka, spokesman for Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette, of the Conference Board report.
"You have to look at things on a business case and that's going to involve a lot of factors: whether or not there's a market for it, what the cost would be, if we have the population to support it," Bellikka said, adding the government has no plans beyond its current market study.
"We're really taking this one step at a time," he said.
While a rail link along the Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway would seem like the most logical right-of-way, Stelmach said the government has also eyed Highway 21, which runs parallel to the QE2 about 50 kilometres to the east. Stelmach, a former transportation minister, said past studies have indicated the train could reduce vehicle traffic by 22 per cent.
In Ottawa, an official in Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon's office said the federal government's upcoming infrastructure plan might provide some funding for a feasibility study.
"The bottom line . . . is that in the budget we have announced $33 billion for infrastructure. We are currently finalizing our infrastructure plan, we are discussing with the partners, we are identifying our priorities, assessing projects," said Natalie Safarian, Cannon's press secretary. "We will be presenting our infrastructure plan shortly."
A Calgary group, Alberta High-Speed Rail Inc., has floated the idea of a private-public sector joint venture that would see the Alberta government spend $1.6 billion to buy land and build the line, while western Canadian private investors would fund the trains and administration.
"What we're proposing to build is a double-track electric line with TGV-style trains doing 300 kilometres an hour and taking 84 minutes to go from downtown Calgary to downtown Edmonton," said High-Speed's president and chief executive, Bill Cruickshanks, on Thursday.
"Under 600 kilometres, high-speed rail is the most efficient way of moving people around. You can add lanes to Highway 2, but it'll still take you three hours to get there, it'll still have winter driving conditions and it will do nothing to reduce greenhouse gases, " Cruickshanks noted.
"A high-speed train can travel winter and summer, will always get you there in 84 minutes because there's not the congestion there is on the highway, and once you've built it, you can expand it for capacity without having to build any more infrastructure."
Estimates of the project's total cost are as high as $5 billion.
The premier said the project would not be solely funded through Alberta taxpayers' dollars, noting an equity partnership with Ottawa -- or any other type of deal -- isn't out of the question.
"All options are on the table," Stelmach said.
There's an opportunity to snare federal dollars, he added, noting Ottawa is interested in cost sharing for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move large volumes of people.
Municipalities must also work closely together, he said, noting Calgary should be planning for future rail links to communities like Okotoks and Airdrie.
The Alberta Liberals also are calling for a high-speed train between Calgary and Edmonton, and recently had a motion passed in the legislature that called on the government to procure the necessary lands and right-of-way for the project.
"At least they're starting to think about it," Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said Thursday.
