Can anyone advise if the THREE (3) Stops in Calgary include YYC - and whether the TWO (2) Stopis in Edmonton exclude YEG? - or can identify the stops?
Here is the Article in todays Metro:
http://metronews.ca/story_local.aspx?id=67790
Alberta bullet train backed
Report recommends commuter link between Edmonton and Calgary
toru hanai/reuters
A bullet train such as this N700 model in Japan may soon become a reality in Alberta. A provincial report has found that a high-speed rail link between Edmonton and Calgary is economically feasible.
A multibillion-dollar high-speed rail link between Edmonton and Calgary has taken a massive leap forward after a government report has determined there’s a viable market for the commuter train service.
The preliminary results of the study, conducted for the province by Alex Metcalf of Transportation Economics and Management Systems, found that a rail link is economically feasible.
“Our feeling is that there is a strong market for high-speed rail in Alberta,” Metcalf told Metro yesterday. “It’s quite clear that there is a real opportunity here.”
Metcalf, who conducted a similar study for the province in 1981, said the findings also prove that Alberta’s population has grown enough to generate revenues that will offset the multibillion-dollar price tag.
“There is certainly good opportunity for rail in the corridor,” he said. “Having waited 20 years, we can finally say the market is ready.”
The study sampled potential rail users by interviewing 5,000 motorists travelling on the Queen Elizabeth 2 highway.
Researchers also interviewed 1,000 air travellers and 700 bus users while recording vehicle traffic in four locations between Edmonton and Calgary.
Early data from the sample group proves that commuters are eager to use a bullet train rail link, even with the expected price of a transit fare, he said.
The final report, set to be released later this month, will reveal exact figures, but a Calgary-based high-speed rail company lobbying to take on the project has already confirmed it will charge $65 for a one-way ticket.
Bill Cruickshanks, president of Alberta High-Speed Rail, said the project could be completed in five years for a total cost of $2.2 billion.
“You have to look at this project and see that it’s going to be one of the building blocks for the future of the province,” he said.
The province has already purchased land for expected transit stops while Premier Ed Stelmach has voiced his full support for the rail link earlier this year by telling reporters that it’s an essential project.
“We have to. We have no choice. It will reduce emissions and it’s visionary,” he said.
Rail Details: The system would have three stops in Calgary, one stop in Red Deer and two stops in Edmonton for a total commuting time of 84 minutes.
steve lillebuen/metro edmonton
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