22 December 2007
Train Plan Rail Good to Mayors
Calgary Alberta - The mayors of Calgary's southern
neighbours say they're on board with notions of running a commuter train service from their towns into the city.
But one of them - High River Mayor Les Rempel - said talk of using an existing heavy train line would need a considerably larger
population south of Calgary before such a service would be feasible.
"We've talked about this thing at Calgary Regional Partnership and we have to have a critical mass of people," said Rempel,
who leads the town of 11,000 people about 50 km south of Calgary.
It's generally considered the Okotoks-High River leg of the line would require a population of at least 60,000 to make it
viable - nearly double the current number of residents, said Rempel.
"It needs to be considered but that's 10, 20, 30 years away," he said, noting Okotoks aims to cap its population at 30,000.
He also said funding of the project - whose proponents admit is in its earliest planning stages - is uncertain.
"It's a neat idea but I don't see a money pot for it yet," said Rempel, adding most of the commuters would come from Calgary
to High River to work at places such as the Cargill plant.
A rail line would be ideal in heading off commuter gridlock in Okotoks, said Bill McAlpine, mayor of the town 15 km south of Calgary.
"It would be wonderful coup... the ultimate thing would be light rail, but that would be lot of money," he said.
Ideally, the service would tie in to any future Edmonton-Calgary fast rail line, said McAlpine.
Such a line would reduce smog, CO2 emissions, and road carnage, said Alberta Liberal infrastructure critic Harry Chase.
"The tracks are not subject to weather conditions the way roads are," said Calgary Varsity MLA Chase.
"Even using diesel locomotives, the environmental trade-offs are good."
Canadian Pacific Railway officials say they've been studying the commuter train issue.
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