Quote:
Originally Posted by hipster duck
Yes, I was thinking specifically about Brightline/FEC as an example. This would be harder in the Calgary-Edmonton case, since I don't think CP owns much land besides its right of way. Some crown corporation or PPP of the Alberta government charged with real estate development could possibly buy up vacant land in strategic places as well as the rail line itself and maybe make a go of it. It'll be harder than in Florida, that's for sure.
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I'm not a huge fan of the private investor model, unless the public retains so much control that it would likely make the real estate model unviable.
If we are to have passenger rail, I want it to be built in the public interest, with station locations and service levels appropriate to demand, designed to reduce urban sprawl and the need for more roads. If the primary purpose of rail is to allow a developer to build a subdivision 20km outside the city border for people that will drive anywhere anyway, what is the point?
It would also complicate matters for someone like VIA should they want to run a service, now they have to negotiate with two railway operators.
One has to ask what the purpose of passenger rail is. I suspect in Alberta we will only consider it once Highway 2 is 3-4 lanes the whole way and packed. At that point, the question should be asked whether it is wiser to expand the highway, and make the problem worse, or put in a rail line and make the problem better. If our population starts declining or even stagnates, we'll never reach that point and the business case for intercity rail will be weak.