Canadian Pacific Railway is on board to work with several municipalities interested in studying the return of passenger train service between Calgary and Lake Louise.
If all goes according to plan, the ambitious proposal 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 the railway giant.
Salem Woodrow, Canadian Pacific’s public affairs and communications officer, said CP is committed to working with the communities they operate in and will participate in the feasibility study if it takes place.
“Any formal proposal would require careful review by our company and until a full examination is conducted, we would not speculate on whether this service would be feasible,” she said.
“Part of any review of a passenger rail proposal is to ensure CP’s freight service will not be hindered in serving our customers in the region and Canada.”
The municipalities of Banff, Canmore, ID9, Calgary and Cochrane have 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.
“We are hoping to hear by the end of March,” said Diana Waltmann, the Town of Banff’s communications manager. “If successful, we would then look to issue an RFP (request for proposal).”
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.
Vehicle congestion on the road to Moraine Lake in the busy summer and fall has also been identified as a significant safety concern by emergency services, including fire, ambulance and police.
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.
According to the Town of Banff, 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.
The municipality’s stats show 5.5 million vehicles passed the entrance counters at the Town of Banff in 2015, leading to Banff’s road system to be beyond its capacity for almost half of the peak summer period.
Adrian Field, the Town of Banff’s engineering manager, said passenger rail played a major role in economic development in the Bow Valley and Western Canada.
“A visitor survey in 2015 indicated that 49 per cent of respondents would take a passenger train to Banff National Park if one was available,” he said.
