Have YOUR say: Passenger rail service
Hot on the heels of its successful Nov. 22 passenger rail forum, the provincial government has launched an online survey to gather input from individuals and municipalities on the future of passenger rail service in Alberta.
While Alberta Municipalities does not have a specific position on passenger rail service, many of our 265 member communities are keenly interested in transportation-related issues. Municipalities of all sizes and locations are encouraged to provide their input at this early stage in the master plan’s development by completing the online survey.
At the core of the provincial government’s master plan are the benefits that passenger rail service could deliver, like reducing congestion on Alberta’s busiest highways as our population grows, enabling people to travel quickly between communities and allowing tourists to visit our province’s mountain parks without needing to drive themselves there.
The provincial government is looking at how passenger rail can address several needs for Albertans, including the needs of commuters in Calgary and Edmonton who would like to travel from their suburban homes to their respective downtown cores and international airports. It is also considering high-speed rail services that would link Edmonton and Calgary, and regional rail services that would connect Edmonton and Calgary to mountain parks and cities like Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.
The Government of Alberta’s online survey is underway from now until December 20. Click here to complete it. A series of regional technical meetings to gather more stakeholder feedback is planned for early 2025.
