A commuter rail line linking Calgary to Banff would be an expensive but useful – one might even say necessary – piece of infrastructure that would bring convenience to both tourists and residents alike.
Visit any other country in the world (particularly countries in Europe and Asia) and you'll likely use some kind of high-speed train to travel from city to city. These interconnected transportation networks have been established for decades and are highly utilized by both commuters and visitors.
Unfortunately, this same public transportation system hasn't caught on in western Canada, despite (or perhaps because of) the long distances between most urban centres. If you want to travel from Calgary to Edmonton or Calgary to Winnipeg, you'd better be willing to drive, take a bus, or fly.
As everyone knows, Banff is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Canada, with four-million visitors a year. Tourists flock to the small picturesque mountain town by the thousands every single day of the year. They usually arrive by bus or car, contributing to traffic congestion and pollution.
If Liricon Capital's proposed hydrogen-powered passenger rail line project linking Calgary's airport to Banff (with a handful of stops in between, including one at The Station in Cochrane) ever comes to fruition, these issues would be mitigated.
While an undeniably expensive endeavour, it's nice to see the Alberta government commit funds to at the very least explore the feasibility of building a passenger rail line from Calgary to Banff.
It's well established there's a housing crisis in the Bow Valley municipalities of Canmore and Banff, where you need to essentially make a fortune just to afford the average rental. As a result, there's also a labour shortage for those communities' hospitality sectors – which is a big deal, considering the importance of tourism in both towns.
As Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung pointed out, a passenger rail line linking Banff, Canmore, Morley and Cochrane would allow for workers living in a more affordable community like Cochrane to still use a train to get to work in Banff or Canmore.
