By Councillor Morgan Nagel
I don’t often put my support behind large and seemingly expensive government projects, but the new regional passenger YYC Airport-to-Banff train proposal is one of the exceptions. There are a lot of good reasons to support the idea of connecting Cochrane to Banff, Canmore, Morley and Calgary via rail.
First, it's an exceptionally affordable proposal given the magnitude of the project. Due to the fact that almost the entire project can be built within the existing CP Rail and highway lands, early estimates put the project between $800m and $1B. That may seem like a lot of money, but compared to the cost of upgrading the TransCanada, or extending the Calgary C-Train, it's actually extremely cheap.
Second, a connection from the airport all the way to the Rockies will create a lot of opportunities for tourism industry growth. Banff’s future expansion plans are very limited, and Canmore can only handle so much tourism development. No doubt, the increased tourism traffic would be great for Cochrane’s local businesses.
Third, it would help reduce traffic congestion. It will take people off the highways on long weekends, and us Cochranites would be able to use it to commute to work during the week.
Fourth, it will support our First Nations neighbours economic development initiatives and supports a transportation alternative for folks travelling in and out of the city for jobs and services.
Last and certainly not least, a lot of us Cochranites would love to be able to train to Banff each weekend!
I sincerely hope the municipalities, province and the federal government can find a way to make the rail proposal happen.
