EllisDon receives approval to explore high-speed rail link between Calgary and Edmonton

CALGARY — A high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton could finally be in the cards.

Construction services and infrastructure development company, EllisDon, says it has received approval to explore development for the link between the two cities, with a stop in Red Deer along the way.

“The notion of high-speed rail — a proven technology around the world — connecting Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary in Alberta is not new, but we believe that its time has come. We have built a team with both the capacity and faith in the future of our province to advance it in a meaningful way for Albertans,” said Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, Director with EllisDon Capital in a release on Thursday.

The project is set to be dubbed Prairie Link.

EllisDon says the project received a Memorandum of Understanding from Alberta Transportation, setting the stage for the project that is expected to cost around $9 billion.

Proponents of high-speed rail lines are optimistic about the plan.

“It’s definitely something that can link the province together in a good way, and it can definitely open up conversations for more talks on how we can grow this kind of transportation across the entire province,” said Justin Simaluk, president of Rail for Alberta. “We see it as very optimistic.”

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We're very excited to keep the conversation going, and we're looking forward to more details. You can read our full press release below: pic.twitter.com/rA1aC5mjQ7

— Rail For Alberta (@RailAlberta) July 8, 2021

An advisory committee has been established for the project, and there is also engagement with Indigenous communities to help guide development.

High-speed transportation options have been in the news a lot lately, as people clamour for more affordable options to get around the region without using cars or having to pay for air travel.

Last month, a feasibility study was completed in relation to a proposed hyperloop project as well, but that is projected to cost more than twice as much as the Prairie Link.

In eastern Canada, the federal government announced that it would be launching a procurement process for a high-frequency rail system between Toronto and Quebec City that would boost capacity for passenger rail in the region. However, that project is not projected to high high-speed rail territory when it launches by the end of the decade.

There are some challenges throughout this endeavour, Simaluk said, including the ownership of tracks and apathy around maintaining the status quo for transportation in the country.

But the idea of high-speed rail is much more feasible, as proven by its widespread use in numerous countries around Europe and Asia.

“It’s technology that we understand and that we have a grasp of, and we can make it work here if we want it to,” he said.

While the province has offered its lukewarm support for these options, including working with Transpod to explore the development of the hyperloop, there are still more active initiatives around expanding road systems and adding more lanes on highways.

“It’s very easy to fall back on to highway development, whereas pushing forward with rail development is a bit new in Canada,” Simaluk added. “I think it’s just the experience and political drive to make it happen, which is why we’re pretty excited to see a private company willing to take the steps forward for it.”

Simaluk is hopeful that the province really puts more backing behind this so that it attracts additional investment and does become a reality, instead of another pie in the sky idea.

“It’s a lot easier than we might think it is,” he said. “We definitely need to start thinking of alternatives to highway travel and we need to make it easier to reach that alternative.”