Several municipalities are all aboard on a plan to seek provincial government funding to do a feasibility study into the return of passenger rail service from Calgary to Banff on existing train tracks.
As of Monday (Feb. 22), Banff, Canmore, ID9, Calgary and Cochrane all passed resolutions to support a grant application to study the feasibility of reinstating passenger train service that hasn’t existed since Via Rail’s Canadian route stopped its southern leg in 1990.
Town of Banff officials say if the $350,000 grant application is successful, the next step would to be to prepare and issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a qualified consultant to conduct the study.
They say the ambitious plan could see a summer trial of a passenger train service within the next three to five years if several challenges could be overcome, including funding and coordinating with Canadian Pacific Railway.
“The big attraction for us is getting people from Calgary to Banff in something other than a private vehicle,” said Adrian Field, the Town of Banff’s engineering manager. “There are many benefits to passenger rail.”
Banff and Lake Louise continue to experience terrible traffic congestion and parking problems, especially on holiday long weekends and during the busy summer months. Delays in town can be up to one and half hours long.
Parks Canada’s visitation numbers project a 7.4 per cent increase in visitors to Banff National Park from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, up to 3.8 million visitors compared to 3.6 million in 2014-15.
Field said the average daily vehicle volume on the Trans-Canada Highway is more than 20,000 vehicles per day, noting accidents between the Banff park gates and Highway 93 are up 58 per cent from 29 in 2013 to 46 in 2015.
He said 5.5 million vehicles passed the entrance counters at the Town of Banff in 2015, leading to Banff’s road system being beyond its capacity for almost half of the peak summer period.
As well, Field said, vehicle congestion on the road to Moraine Lake has been identified as a significant safety concern for emergency access for police, EMS and fire crews.
“Vehicle congestion is an issue that all of the partnering municipalities are faced with,” said Field.
“The effects of increasing vehicle volumes on road and emergency response safety, erosion of the visitor experience, economic growth and environmental sustainability are key issues at both the municipal and provincial scales.”
The feasibility study scope includes looking at the infrastructure required, where stations would be located, social, environmental and economic impacts, capital and operating costs and implementation planning.
One of the preliminary ideas is an intercept parking lot on the outskirts of Calgary, located near the junction of Stoney Trail and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
“There is a nice green bit of land we could pop an intercept parking lot on,” said Field.
Field said other challenges include the need for train stations or platforms in Calgary, Cochrane and Canmore and coordination with CP Railway, including the potential for additional sidings to maintain goods capacity.
“It may also require provincial support to offset operating and capital costs,” he said.
Councillor Brian Standish voiced strong support for the initiative, saying Banff’s transportation concerns are very much a result of regional influences.
“I want to thank administration for taking the lead on this grant application and for thinking outside the box,” he said.
“I’m very proud of the fact we aren’t sitting back and waiting for a solution to come to us, and we are in fact going out seeking new and different options.”
If the study proves passenger rail would be feasible, the Town of Banff sees it starting as a summer trial first.
“I think at this stage maybe baby steps is the way to go, and certainly Banff’s greatest need for it is in summer,” said Field.
“Our thoughts are a summer trial because if we can’t get it to work in the summer, the chances of it working the rest of the year are quite small.”
CP Railway did not get back to the Outlook by deadline.
