Edmonton Alberta - The UCP government says it wants to examine the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Calgary, Okotoks, and Airdrie.
 
It's one of the numerous policy requests to realize a $300 million investment in infrastructure laid out in a mandate letter from Premier Danielle Smith to Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen.
 
The letter calls for "examining the feasibility of a province-led Metrolinx-like model for commuter rail service using heavy rail on the Canadian Pacific rail line from Airdrie to Okotoks, with a view to developing a commuter rail system that can expand as Alberta grows."
 
It says that assessment should include the use of hydrogen-powered trains.
 
Also to be studied would be a rail link between the Edmonton International Airport and the capital city's downtown.
 
The mandate letter released Tuesday comes on the heels of an announcement Monday that the province would provide $3 million for the City of Calgary to study forging a rail link between the city's international airport and the downtown.
 
That assessment would commence in October and be completed in August 2024, said the government.
 
It's a vision that also includes studying the merits of a passenger rail link between Calgary and Banff that's reiterated in the mandate document.
 
"This must initially include completing the Blue Line link to the Calgary airport," it says of the existing northeast Calgary LRT line that currently terminates east of the airport.
 
One proposal pushes a rail or LRT line east from the airport along Airport Trail, part of which would run along an existing tunnel beneath aircraft runways.
 
Linking Calgary With Communities Could be a Good Thing Okotoks Mayor
 
The distance between Okotoks and downtown Calgary is about 44 kilometres, while the distance from Airdrie is 35 kilometres.
 
Both bedroom communities are often among the fastest-growing in Canada, with Airdrie's population at about 81,000 people, while Okotoks is sitting around 31,000.
 
Commuters from both Okotoks, to the south of Calgary, and Airdrie, immediately to its north, rely heavily on Highway 2 to reach the region's major employment centre.
 
Both communities are served by commuter buses.
 
With so few details on the study available, it's hard to say what the rail link would mean for Okotoks, but there is a possibility of improving the commuter experience, said the town's Mayor Tanya Thorn.
 
"It has a potential of being a good thing, maybe people won't need a car," said Thorn.
 
About half of Okotoks' working population commutes to Calgary, but some Calgarians also come to her town to work, she said.
 
"The key elements for us is creating more employment opportunities here," she said.
 
Councillor in Favour of More Sustainable Rail Commuting
 
The time has come to lessen the reliance on vehicle commuting, particularly along the QE II Highway between Airdrie and Calgary that's routinely gridlocked due to collisions or adverse weather conditions, said Ward 9 Calgary Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra.
 
"The automobile functions well until you reach a certain population and we're at that tipping point," he said adding, building conventional rail lines for commuting costs a fraction of LRT price tags.
 
With gridlock, cost and climate change factored in, more sustainable rail commuting is essential, said Carra, who counts the issue as one of his top priorities.
 
Conservation groups are increasingly concerned a passenger rail line proposed from Calgary to Banff ignores multiple wildlife and environmental issues.
 
Conservation Groups Raise Concerns With Potential Calgary-Banff Railway
 
But Carra said the ideal approach would be to construct a whole new rail line rather than using the existing CP tracks due to the disadvantages posed by freight trains' stress on the rails.
 
"When commuter trains run on rails bent by cargo trains, they can't go that fast," he said.
 
He also said he was a supporter of the then-controversial 620 metre Airport Trail tunnel that opened in 2014 due to its potential as a rail corridor.
 
"It was our last gasp opportunity to connect the airport with our primary transportation network," he said, calling the lack of rail service to the airport "insane."
 
Linking Calgary and Banff to Also be Studied
 
Premier Danielle Smith has also expressed interest in a $1.5 billion hydrogen passenger rail line proposed by Banff based Liricon Capital linking the Calgary International Airport with Banff.
 
It's part of the $3 million study of possible rail infrastructure in and around Calgary announced Monday by the provincial government.
 
Carra said he also supports that proposal, insisting the motor vehicle pressure on Banff National Park with its pollution and gridlock is becoming intolerable.
 
"The province has levers it can pull to drive more rail ridership, such as a highway toll fee," he said.
 
"We can't stuff more cars into Banff National Park."
 
Studying and enhancing train service in Alberta is a forward looking approach in a rapidly growing province, said Justin Simaluk, president of the Rail for Alberta Society.
 
"The population numbers are going to change very quickly, we're talking about a Calgary region that'll be pushing two million people in the next 10 to 15 years," he said.
 
"We're absolutely thrilled about the studies."
 
Taking more vehicles off the road in favour of rail will also allow for better land use in cities, said Simaluk.
 
Bill Kaufmann.