Alberta transportation minister tasked with studying rail lines to Edmonton airport and across Calgary region

Rail enthusiasts, travellers and Edmonton's mayor are among those glad to hear about the provincial government's plans to study whether commuter rail service is feasible in the Edmonton and Calgary regions.

In a Tuesday mandate letter to Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen, Premier Danielle Smith asked him to study a "Metrolinx-like model for commuter rail service" using heavy rail, referring to the commuter train service in the Greater Toronto Area.

Dreeshen should study a line from downtown Edmonton stretching about 28 kilometres south to the Edmonton International Airport, and a potential 70-kilometre stretch from Airdrie, north of Calgary, to the Town of Okotoks south of the city, the letter says.

"I think it would be really nice and convenient," Edmonton resident Terri Schindel said while waiting to board a flight to Saskatoon at the Edmonton airport on Wednesday. "It would be easy to just hop on and not worry about parking and traffic."

Train tickets would likely be more affordable than long-term parking at the airport, and it would help reduce congestion on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, she said.

Dreeshen's mandate letter says any rail studies should have "a view to developing a commuter rail system that can expand as Alberta grows," and should consider the use of hydrogen-powered trains.

Dreeshen was unavailable for an interview on Wednesday, his press secretary said.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was pleased to see the reference to studying regional transit. At an unrelated event on Wednesday, Sohi said he looks forward to hearing more about who will fund a feasibility study and how rail could be integrated into regional transit.

"I think having an efficient, direct, fast public-transit system from the airport … to the downtown would help us grow the economy, will help us attract more conventions, and make it easier for people to move back and forth," Sohi said.

The city is extending the Capital Line LRT south of Century Park station for two more stops into Heritage Valley with the long-term vision of a possible rail link to the airport that would connect with the existing LRT.

Thinking of a rail-connected future, the city in 2017 annexed land from Leduc County that stretches to the airport's boundary.

Sohi said the city's next priority is to extend the Metro Line LRT to Castle Downs, and ultimately, St. Albert.

Benefits and challenges for heavy rail in Edmonton

Calgary rail enthusiast Justin Simaluk said regional and provincial passenger rail have many selling points, including lowering emissions, the efficient movement of people and better urban design.

Simaluk is president of Rail for Alberta, a grassroots advocacy group pushing for passenger rail across the province. He hopes initial projects could spark a regional network.

"There's lots of benefits to getting out of your vehicle and seeing things from a different perspective," he said.

A heavy-rail line to Edmonton's airport, rather than an LRT, would likely be able to travel faster and make fewer stops, giving travellers a more efficient ride, he said.

Crossing the North Saskatchewan River is one hurdle, Simaluk said — there's no heavy-rail bridge near the centre of the city. He added that a system would also have to negotiate rights-of-way and decide whether to share tracks with existing rail services or build their own.

Albertans wonder if regional rail could lead to a long-debated Edmonton-Calgary train link. Between 2004 and 2014, the provincial government studied the idea at least three times, paying consultants to project speed options, costs and potential ridership.

A 2014 report found a rail link wasn't feasible and could cost between $6 billion and $10 billion. However, it recommended the province begin acquiring land between the cities for a future line, and that the cities should build out their LRT networks.

Think-tank Canada West Foundation's president and CEO Gary Mar was a cabinet minister, and then the Alberta's representative in Washington, D.C., when two of the studies were underway.

A previous hurdle to an Edmonton-Calgary line was the costly need to elevate the train to prevent delays at hundreds of level crossings with roads, he said in an interview Wednesday.

Mar said rail links could alter how Albertans live and work in the Edmonton-Calgary corridor. Employees working downtown could more affordably live in bedroom communities, or potentially commute between cities.

A hydrogen-powered train would be fitting as Edmonton prepares to host a massive new plant, he said.