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Calgary Regional Rail Transit


It’s good they are going forward to get an overall plan in place, but given there are two separate private companies that want to build their rail, is waiting much longer going to kill their interest (particularly PraireLink HSR)?
It isn't going to help the existing proponents, but having a set regulatory and provincial support framework, might lead to other companies being interested in the opportunity coming forward.
 
It isn't going to help the existing proponents, but having a set regulatory and provincial support framework, might lead to other companies being interested in the opportunity coming forward.
Yes that is true. Just hope it doesn't lead to setbacks in building the HSR between Calgary and Edmonton and the YYC to Banff train. That being said, the governments timeline to have this master plan finished is quite fast, which is promising. Plus we haven't really heard anything from PraireLink in a couple of years since their announcement.

One thing that is good is that we will have it properly managed and we will get a proper downtown train station.
 
One thing that is good is that we will have it properly managed and we will get a proper downtown train station.
What makes you say this? It will be centrally managed and we should get a downtown train station. The positive for me is the centrally managed because it will mean we will not have private companies working in Silos. This structure should allow for integration and efficiency of scale. How much to poach the person who runs the construction of the Japanese rail and whomever operates the Swiss railroad, or their junior?
 
we will get a proper downtown train station.
What? The New Penn Station mini won't be adequate?
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Edit: There is still a tunnel to at least two platforms.

Calgary Tower Hidden Spaces Tour 1 Old Train Station by Ben, on Flickr


Calgary Tower Hidden Spaces Tour 2 Old Train Station by Ben, on Flickr

Some more from https://yourrailwaypictures.com/TrainStations/indexAlberta.html / Massey F. Jones.
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And some more from kinghuang on imgur

A few more, why not:
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both from https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm7DT0_Calgary_Station_Calgary_Alberta
 

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Salt Lake City is an example where they have 3 LRT lines as well as regional commuter rail, with a metro population (depending on how you measure it) either a bit smaller or a bit bigger than Calgary's. I'd argue that case is pretty comparable, and that it's time for Calgary to start separating out commuter rail from the LRT.
It’s funny to hear Salt Lake brought up, I have family there and visited a few times. They’re definitely a transit outlier in the US. Although their LRT might look extensive, the lines overlap pretty extensively.

The population distribution between SLC/Provo/Ogden is also more even than say Calgary and Airdrie or Okotoks. Provo area itself has 600k+ people. If Airdrie has a population 6x of RedDeer, there should definitely be commuter rail. Maybe it’ll get there in 20 years when this is supposed to come to fruition.
I haven't really studied the SLC situation, but one thing I've experienced with SLC that might be different from Calgary is the geographical build out. With the lake on side and mountains on the other growth has mostly been a long narrow north-south stretch. Whereas Calgary's metro and suburban population tends to disperse around the city in a ring.
I'm simplifying here, but hypothetically if there was no Cochrane or NW suburbs, and no Chestermere Langdon, etc.. and those ~200k, people were instead living either near Airdrie or south near Okotoks a N-S rail line along the CPR corridor might make more sense maybe.
 
These are great pictures. I’ve never seen them before. Thanks!
 

Oh man that brings back memories! When I was a kid in the 80's we'd take VIA rail to Winnipeg every summer to visit family.
 

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