Report on high-speed rail in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor

1. What were the objectives of the market assessment study?

The main objectives of the market study were to conduct:
1. Travel demand analysis;
2. Market analysis;
3. Revenue analysis; and
4. Financial and economic analysis.

2. What are some of the highlights of the report?

The market demand assessment study estimated the potential ridership and revenues for four different high-speed train technologies:

• 200 km/hr diesel electric train;
• 240 km/hr jet or electric train;
• 320 km/hr overhead electric train; and
• 500 km/hr magnetic levitation train.

• The report indicates that nearly 10 million passenger trips took place in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor in 2006.
• Of these passenger trips, 91 per cent were made by automobiles, about six per cent by air and three per cent by bus.
• The average annual growth rate in the corridor has been more than three per cent annually over the past decade. 
• Given the projected growth of the overall travel market in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, it is estimated that high-speed rail ridership would increase by about 35 per cent from 2021 to 2031, and by about 43 per cent from 2031 to 2051.
• The faster the high-speed train, the greater the ridership and revenues.
• People said they were willing to pay fares ranging from $56 to $120 for a one-way trip - based on slowest to fastest high-speed rail technologies.

3. What will the Alberta government’s next steps be regarding high-speed rail?

As we plan for the province’s future transportation needs, we need to look at different options for meeting our goal of providing the infrastructure to support Alberta’s economy and communities.

The province will provide the high-speed rail report to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and will await the committee’s final report.

The Alberta government will continue to assess options on next steps regarding high-speed rail. No decision has been made regarding the implementation of high-speed rail in Alberta.

4. Is it possible that the Alberta government could proceed with high-speed rail as a P3 (public-private partnership) project?

A P3 is one approach that could be considered. P3s have been successfully used to construct portions of the ring roads in Calgary and Edmonton as well as a number of schools. However, no decision has been made regarding a high-speed rail project in Alberta. The Alberta government will continue to assess options.