High Speed Rail

[Map Maker]

Surprised there is no discussion on the high speed rail from Calgary to Edmonton.

I'm all for a feasibility master study to see if it makes sense.
Do it now when its cheaper.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/pol...il-master-plan

[Trochu]

They've been talking about this for a long time, think it was 2022 it was going to be a hyperloop, before that it was a train.

I'm personally all for it, but they have to do it right, aka, cheap and fast. It it takes 3 hours to drive, they can't think this is going to work if it's 2.5 hr trip at $50/person in the train kinda thing. Thirty to forty-five minutes, 20 bucks, I'm in!

[Cement Bench]

2 much money we are broke as a province and the cities are not run efficiently at all

[Moe]

Gunter wrote a good article on why at this time, it is not economically viable
https://edmontonsun.com/opinion/colu...ork-in-alberta

[Fradaburidi]

Originally Posted by Trochu

cheap and fast

There are three level of service: cheap, fast, good. You can choose only two of any.

Fast and good will not be cheap.
Cheap and good will not be fast.
Cheap and fast will not be good.

[Fradaburidi]

Originally Posted by Cement Bench

we are broke as a province

Even more broke as a country.

[muirsy]

It'll never happen, we just don't have the population density like in Europe where it makes much more sense.

[Fradaburidi]

Originally Posted by Trochu

If it takes 3 hours to drive, they can't think this is going to work if it's 2.5 hr trip at $50/person in the train kinda thing. Thirty to forty-five minutes, 20 bucks, I'm in!

Some would prefer even a 2.5 hr trip at $50/person than 3 or more hours of driving.

The question is if there is enough people that will use it.

[Geraldsh]

Since 1981 there have been 6 different studies done, shouldn’t be wasting money on another study until our population at least doubles.

[colvert]

Originally Posted by muirsy

It'll never happen, we just don't have the population density like in Europe where it makes much more sense.

exactly

[Trochu]

If they are going to do it, I'd rather they do it now though for the need in 15 years than figure out it's viable in 15 years, then have it ready another 10 from then, at how many billions more than it would cost to build today. Keep in mind this could easily be a 5-10 year project, if started now, it's not like it's going to be up and running in 2025.

[hayseed]

I would rather have a flying car……

Not electric though..cords not near long enough

[CNP]

Flying between these two cities is just plain xxxxxx. Driving or bussing are the only viable options. High speed rail is investing in the future. Trains operating at more than double the hwy 2 speed is a piece of cake.

[calgarychef]

I lived in England for awhile and used the trains a lot, so it’s not like I’m against train travel.

So you get on in Calgary and get off in Edmonton… where’s your vehicle?
In Calgary. How do you get around? These trains are good for workers commuting to the office, or travelling with a small suitcase. How many people will commute to either city for work? How many are going for a vacation?

There’s not the population

[HyperMOA]

If they built a high speed rail the Edmonton international would go broke. I will take a train to calgary to catch direct flights instead of always having to connect from Edmonton.

[Pioneer2]

Finishing the pipeline to the Pacific.

[lannie]

I am all for it the moment private business puts the money out for it without being at gun point. Publicly funded is private business putting the money out at gunpoint.

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I lived in England for awhile and used the trains a lot, so it’s not like I’m against train travel.

So you get on in Calgary and get off in Edmonton… where’s your vehicle?
In Calgary. How do you get around? These trains are good for workers commuting to the office, or travelling with a small suitcase. How many people will commute to either city for work? How many are going for a vacation?

There’s not the population

2x How do you get around town with out a car once you get there .
Might be ok if your visiting some one for the day and they pick you up .

[pikergolf]

I don't know if it makes economic sense but it would get used like crazy. The business travel between the two cities alone has to be huge. Time savings alone would drive it. Hop it a cab get to where you need to be, have your meeting, cab it back to the station and take the train home. No brainer from that stand point.

[densa44]

This idea is about 50 years too late. Now with cars that drive themselves and the price of new cars, it will almost impossible to get people to park and take the train.

Time to start working on other problems.

As far as the provincial economy is concerned, it used to be that we spent 1/3 more dollars than we taxed for. In otherwords we are living on non renewable resource revenue. There is a "train" coming at us through the tunnel!

[flydude]

What a great concept. Imagine all the Calgarians that would commute to Edmonton to watch a real hockey team?

[sirmike68]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

i lived in england for awhile and used the trains a lot, so it’s not like i’m against train travel.

So you get on in calgary and get off in edmonton… where’s your vehicle?
In calgary. How do you get around? These trains are good for workers commuting to the office, or travelling with a small suitcase. How many people will commute to either city for work? How many are going for a vacation?

There’s not the population

this x2

[altex]

Originally Posted by Trochu

If they are going to do it, I'd rather they do it now though for the need in 15 years than figure out it's viable in 15 years, then have it ready another 10 from then, at how many billions more than it would cost to build today. Keep in mind this could easily be a 5-10 year project, if started now, it's not like it's going to be up and running in 2025.

Agreed 100% . The population is growing as we speak. Should be build now while it's cheaper.

[Glas Ó Cairealláin]

I believe it's already a go already. I think it's already been approved.

https://majorprojects.alberta.ca/det...Rail-Line/4494

https://www.prairielink.ca/

[Geraldsh]

I would be in favour of an actual build now but all we are getting is another 5 million dollar study.

[MegaHorn]

In the 1980s Toshiba was going to build this train between the cities until the Alberta Government shut it down. How do I know this? My dad worked for AGT and IBM in the 70s and 80s. It's wild the amount of corruption that went on.

The more I thon about it we must be living inside a computer. We have no choice. Only choice is to not vote

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

I don't know if it makes economic sense but it would get used like crazy. The business travel between the two cities alone has to be huge. Time savings alone would drive it. Hop it a cab get to where you need to be, have your meeting, cab it back to the station and take the train home. No brainer from that stand point.

That's true - I used to make that hop to Calgary quite often. I've met MLAs on those flights, they would be one of the more frequent fliers on that route.

I could see students and tourists making good use of it as well.

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

If they built a high speed rail the Edmonton international would go broke. I will take a train to calgary to catch direct flights instead of always having to connect from Edmonton.

Oh for sure! I have wasted so much time switching planes in Calgary... If I could have caught a fast train to Calgary somewhere in E-Town, it would save me almost an hour of commuting to the EIA as well.

I used to love the EIA, back in the days when it actually had more direct flights.

Originally Posted by flydude

What a great concept. Imagine all the Calgarians that would commute to Edmonton to watch a real hockey team?

This, 100%!

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

Finishing the pipeline to the Pacific.

^^ RIGHT THERE ^^^

Lets get all the high priority stuff that needs finishing, finished. Then, lets look at a new train in say 2074.....

How about a reliable bus line again....servicing people and cargo?

[stubblejumper01]

Originally Posted by graybeard

^^ RIGHT THERE ^^^

Lets get all the high priority stuff that needs finishing, finished. Then, lets look at a new train in say 2074.....

How about a reliable bus line again....servicing people and cargo?

That’s for sure. I grew up in Saskatchewan and we would visit relatives in Alberta every summer. On the way home all us kids would be exhausted and we would be snoozing. I can clearly remember that we would always wake up as soon as we crossed the border as the roads were always worse in Saskatchewan.
Now it’s the opposite. We need to repair a lot of highways in our province.
Also I think we should be looking at upgrading the power grid as we are already at capacity and once we are forced to drive electric vehicles we won’t have the infrastructure to handle the needs. We need way more capacity there long before we need the rail line.
As to bus routes unfortunately they would have to be subsidized by the taxpayers as they are not very profitable. There’s way more need for services to our smaller communities than there is for the rail line

[Map Maker]

I agree with the thinking of starting to plan and build now before it becomes a necessity.
Is there anyone that disagrees hwy 2 was a bad investment for the province?
But I’m sure a lot of people were saying it was a waste of money back then.
Calgary Edmonton with red deer stop over has been a major transportation route for a millennium.
Train, freight, Powerlines, pipelines . Build the infrastructure to support it.