Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

[JonnyCanuck]

It is an ambitious idea. The city/province would likely be on the hook for the entire cost of re-routing the railway, plus all development of any public domains.
CP and the federal government may also seek other forms of compensation.
Hate to even think this but it would probably require a rail incident/accident that endangered lives or property in the core, to get any real traction on this.

 

[BKha]

It is an ambitious idea. The city/province would likely be on the hook for the entire cost of re-routing the railway, plus all development of any public domains.
CP and the federal government may also seek other forms of compensation.
Hate to even think this but it would probably require a rail incident/accident that endangered lives or property in the core, to get any real traction on this.

Until something like that happens, you're probably right. There won't be any desire by anyone to change it. The feds would have to be involved, but if they do it for Calgary, a hundred other cities are going to line up for the same thing.

 

[BKha]

Yeah, it looks like they want to turn the section into a giant park that interconnects the neighborhoods. In some ways this would be nice, but not the best use. @darwink's idea of using part of it for HSR makes more sense. Anyone who knows me, knows I've always liked the idea of a canal. and while it's not necessarily practical, I think it would get Calgary over the hump into being a global tourist destination.

The canal could be mixed with HSR/mass transit on one side and a small two lane road on another side....kind of like the streets of Amsterdam that run alongside the canal. There would be a section or two where some properties butt up against the canal and can have restaurant patios that sit on the canal. Also some stairs for rafters to stop in and grab a point of beer.

It would be very cool indeed. Combined with Banff and the rockies, Calgary would be a huge tourist destination. Look at what the canal in San Antonio did for its tourism industry.

 

[Golfing guy]

Some dutch students did a study on re-routing the railway tracks. Not sure if it'll ever happen in my lifetime, but it looks like it might be somewhat feasible. The city/province/feds would need to look at this a an overall vision and think outside the box a bit. Especially the City. It could be a 100% game changer for Calgary.

Could the CP line not be re routed coming from the west to the SW connecting to the SW ring road thru the right away thru the reserve. There is a very large right away in the middle that could fit multiple tracks. When the line passes thru the south a new route can be found to connect with the line east of calgary

 

[Mountain Man]

A canal would be fun, would be much better for skating on than Olympic Plaza or the Prince's Island lagoon lol.

 

[darwink]

Could the CP line not be re routed coming from the west to the SW connecting to the SW ring road thru the right away thru the reserve. There is a very large right away in the middle that could fit multiple tracks. When the line passes thru the south a new route can be found to connect with the line east of calgary

The whole objective of railwaying to to avoid hills.

 

[Patrick.1980]

The study says it would cost around $1 Billion to move the tracks. It sounds a lot of money, but in the grand scheme it's not very much. If CP received money for the land they'd be giving up, they could easily get a billion dollars back. Maybe even more. A group like CMLC could manage the project and create a CRL, and working with developers come up with a master plan that would fund most of the cost to build a park or canal or what not.

 

[darwink]

The study says it would cost around $1 Billion to move the tracks. It sounds a lot of money, but in the grand scheme it's not very much. If CP received money for the land they'd be giving up, they could easily get a billion dollars back. Maybe even more. A group like CMLC could manage the project and create a CRL, and working with developers come up with a master plan that would fund most of the cost to build a park or canal or what not.

Except the dirty little secret is that CRL's don't create new money. They just put money into a pot. It is no different than raising property taxes city wide to pay for the same scheme, the effect is actually exactly the same.

 

[Chinook Arch]

Agreed, but they’re still handy as a mechanism to get something off the ground.
I would be OK with a CRL being created for that kind of plan.

Except the dirty little secret is that CRL's don't create new money. They just put money into a pot. It is no different than raising property taxes city wide to pay for the same scheme, the effect is actually exactly the same.

 

[hollahollaholla]

Some dutch students did a study on re-routing the railway tracks. Not sure if it'll ever happen in my lifetime, but it looks like it might be somewhat feasible. The city/province/feds would need to look at this a an overall vision and think outside the box a bit. Especially the City. It could be a 100% game changer for Calgary.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/dutch-students-propose-solution-calgary-railyards-1.4568534

I was at that presentation, they wanted to rip all out the rail lines in the whole city and turn them into bike lanes. Some other kids had some cool ideas for McLeod Tr. that I liked. I asked a question about how removing the lines would affect regional rail transit and if they could imagine Utrecht or the Netherlands without inter city trains. The girl said no she couldn't imagine it but we don't need it so it's not a big deal.

I beg to differ and think that we should be using those rail lines right now, like they're right there offering downtown to downtown service in municipalities all around the city!

 

[maestro]

Removing the corridor is short sighted. You'll never be able to purchase enough time to run a regional service as long as it remains a CP main line.

 

[Calgcouver]

Yeah, it looks like they want to turn the section into a giant park that interconnects the neighborhoods. In some ways this would be nice, but not the best use. @darwink's idea of using part of it for HSR makes more sense. Anyone who knows me, knows I've always liked the idea of a canal. and while it's not necessarily practical, I think it would get Calgary over the hump into being a global tourist destination.

The canal could be mixed with HSR/mass transit on one side and a small two lane road on another side....kind of like the streets of Amsterdam that run alongside the canal. There would be a section or two where some properties butt up against the canal and can have restaurant patios that sit on the canal. Also some stairs for rafters to stop in and grab a point of beer.

Makes me miss the Abgov Kaspar East Village masterplan. Give me canals, or give me death!

 

[Mountain Man]

Why did that proposal fail so spectacularly? I remember it being quite the scandal.

 

[darwink]

Why did that proposal fail so spectacularly? I remember it being quite the scandal.

No way to pay for it?

 

[maestro]

That would have been something to behold. I would have the shops and restaurants closer to the level of the water. I don't think a canal that flows directly in and out of the river would be a good idea so you wouldn't need flood protection.