This advancement positions the project for success in the fifth and final phase, construction and implementation.
CABR will operate on a new, dedicated passenger line, built within the existing Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway freight corridor. It will provide a high frequency service between seven stations: Calgary Airport, Calgary Downtown, Calgary Keith, Cochrane, Morley (Stoney Nakoda), Canmore and Banff.
The service will meet demand for transportation from Calgary Airport and downtown Calgary then on to Banff, as well as the capability of running an express service between Calgary Airport and downtown Calgary every 15 minutes. In addition to supporting the visitor economy, the airport link will support the transportation needs of the estimated 50,000 people who work at the airport.
The proposal is structured as a public-private-partnership (P3), which contemplates financing from private and institutional capital and the CIB. This approach creates the opportunity for the Government of Alberta to leverage private sector capital and expertise and CIB financial support to deliver a world class airport to downtown to mountain rail system by 2025 that has the potential to be hydrogen powered.
The CABR project is uniquely suited to pursue state-of-the-art low carbon technologies, such as hydrogen-powered rolling stock, as they become increasingly commercially available. However, even assuming the use of modern diesel-electric locomotives, the train will materially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating 429,956 tons of CO2. The CABR system directly supports the Banff National Park Net Zero 2035 initiative to make Banff the first community in North America to be net zero.
Project support
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said, “The Calgary Airport to Banff Rail project will put Calgary on track to help meet our climate targets through sustainable transit, boost our economy, and provide a connection for Calgarians to access the airport from downtown. The low-carbon rail line will be a game changer for the tourism sector, bringing visitors downtown to enjoy all that Calgary has to offer, adding Banff as a bonus addition to their travel.”
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno added, “Banff needs convenient and affordable mass transit between Calgary and Banff as the solution to three priorities: reducing traffic congestion in Canada’s first national park, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from this protected place in the Rockies, and expanding a commuter service for our Bow Valley workforce. It would be wonderful to have people arrive without a personal vehicle, walk or cycle around town, then use our transit system to go anywhere in the park. As a town that strives to be a model environmental community, we also look forward to the possibility of a hydrogen-powered train leading the way for low-carbon transit.”
The construction costs for the CABR project will be very low and the time to build comparatively short because it will be built in an existing railway corridor. Further, CABR can generate far higher revenue per passenger than commuter systems by charging premium fares to visitors arriving at the Calgary Airport while keeping Albertan’s travel costs affordable. This pricing mechanism is like European trains to mountain destinations where out-of-market tourists subsidize local riders.
Furthermore, Calgary Economic Development has estimated that CABR may expand tourism spending by more than C$1.2bn (US$944m) per year.
Project background
Liricon entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CP Rail in April 2021 to lease a portion of CP Rail’s corridor running the 150km between the Calgary Airport and Banff to be able to build a dedicated line. In May 2021 Liricon provided Alberta Transportation and CIB an unsolicited proposal to act as the project developer and on July 15, 2021, Alberta Transportation and CIB announced the advancement of the project to the development phase, encouraging Plenary to partner with Liricon as co-developers of CABR and make possible the proposal.
Liricon is the family holding company of Banff locals Jan and Adam Waterous, who have been facilitating the planning and stakeholder support for the CABR project for more than five years. To drive success for the project, Liricon has already entered into a long-term lease of the historic Banff Train Station and as previously mentioned, entered into an MoU with CP Rail to utilize the CP Rail Corridor for the project.
Liricon is working with the Town of Banff and Parks Canada to transform the train station into a multi-modal eco-transit hub. Liricon has been deeply engaged with CIB and the Province of Alberta since its initial unsolicited proposals in 2019 and May 2021, respectively. Liricon was encouraged to expand its development team with complementary skills. After a process involving more than 30 Canadian and international developers, Liricon selected Plenary as its co-development partner.