Is High-Speed Rail Finally Coming to Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton

 

Alberta 2010 high-speed rail map and Prairie Link 2026 Alberta high speed rail image 

On September 28, 2026, the federal and Alberta governments announced they will collaborate on Alberta high-speed rail connecting Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. At High-Speed Rail Canada, we have followed this corridor for years, and this is the most concrete government commitment we've seen in a long time. Here is what was announced, and why the history behind it matters.

What Canada and Alberta announced

The announcement was made in Calgary by Eleanor Olszewski, federal Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, speaking for Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen joined her. The main elements are:

• Federal referral to the Major Projects Office (MPO). The Calgary–Red Deer–Edmonton corridor will be treated as a "transformative strategy," the same way Ottawa is handling its Toronto–Quebec City high-speed rail initiative.
• A joint governance structure. Canada and Alberta will set up a shared body to guide planning and explore early steps, including possible market-sounding to gauge private-sector interest.
• An Alberta RFP this fall. The province plans to invite private-sector proponents to propose a downtown Calgary to downtown Edmonton line, with a Red Deer stop and service to Calgary International Airport, Edmonton International Airport and Airdrie.
• A selection deadline. Alberta expects to choose a proponent by April 2027. Proposals are expected to need only minimal provincial financial investment and to connect with existing passenger rail in Calgary and Edmonton.
• Public engagement. Both governments say they will consult Indigenous communities, municipalities, industry, investors and the public as work moves ahead.

Why now? Growth and the Passenger Rail Master Plan

Premier Smith pointed to Statistics Canada data showing Alberta is the fastest-growing province in 2026. She also said the Calgary–Red Deer–Edmonton region holds roughly 80 per cent of the province's population.

The announcement builds on Alberta's Passenger Rail Master Plan. According to CBC, that plan found more than one train an hour between Edmonton and Calgary via Red Deer to be feasible. It described a network of more than 500 kilometres, including Calgary to Banff and all-day airport service, backed by $15 million over three years. Dedicated tracks could cut the roughly three-hour drive between the two cities to about one hour and 45 minutes.

Bombardier JetTrain in Calgary 2003 - credit Julian Lengauer

A look back: we've been here before

High Speed Rail Canada has been following the Alberta high-speed rail proposals and had public meetings in Alberta in the 2009. We have all previous Calgary-Edmonton high-speed rail studies LINK on our website.

The trains Alberta lost (1891–1985). Regular passenger trains served Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton on the Canadian Pacific line from 1891 until 1985. By 1969 the trip took three and a half hours, with three trains a day carrying about 880,000 passengers. The service ended in 1985.

The 1985 study and 1986 reversal. In March 1985, the Alberta government released High-Speed Rail Prospects in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. It concluded that high-speed rail was technically feasible and economically viable. It pictured trains at 200 to 270 km/h running 10 to 14 times a day, downtown to downtown in 1 hour 40 minutes. A business traveller could leave at 7:00 a.m. and be home by 6:00 p.m. A review committee set up that December recommended in 1986 that government not proceed.

The JetTrain and the 2004 study (2003–2004). In 2003 Bombardier brought its full-scale JetTrain to Calgary for public viewing, a turbine-powered train capable of about 240 km/h on existing track. In 2004 the Van Horne Institute estimated up to $6 billion in quantifiable benefits and compared two options: upgrading the CP line for mixed freight and passenger use, or building a dedicated new line. I have written a book on Bombardier's ill-fated JetTrain.

More studies, same result (2008–2014). A 2008 provincial study forecast that high-speed rail would reshape business and social ties across the corridor. A 2010 CPCS Transcom study looked at impacts on rural Alberta and how to reduce them. In 2014 a legislative committee on Alberta's economic future recommended against proceeding, even after public hearings in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer.

EllisDon-AECOM Prairie Link (2021). EllisDon and AECOM launched Prairie Link, a partnership that received an MOU with the province for a project then estimated at about $9 billion. In 2022, Alberta Regional Rail proposed a roughly $2 billion commuter line along the Highway 2 corridor.

That is more than four decades of studies that mostly agreed the corridor was ideal, but nothing has happened.

What's different this time

• Two governments are formally aligned. Past efforts often stalled on provincial reluctance. A joint federal-provincial structure and MPO referral is a real change.
• There is a timeline. An RFP this fall and a proponent by April 2027 replaces open-ended study.
• The delivery model is private-sector-led. The "minimal provincial investment" expectation is a major test, since high-speed rail is costly worldwide. Whether bidders can make the numbers work is the biggest open question.
• Growth pressure is real. With the corridor home to most Albertans, the case for another transportation option is stronger than it was in 1985.

What we're watching next

1. The RFP itself: the technology, route, and financial requirements.
2. Who bids: whether groups like Prairie Link or new consortia respond.
3. Governance details: who sits on the joint body and how Indigenous communities and municipalities are involved.
4. Integration: how a new line will link with existing passenger rail in Calgary and Edmonton.

We've heard "this time it's real" before, and we'll keep holding that hope alongside some healthy skepticism. But the corridor's case has never been in doubt. For the first time in a long while, the next steps have dates attached.

Compiled by Paul Langan from multiple sources below

References

1. Transport Canada. "Canada and Alberta to collaborate on High-Speed Rail." News release, September 28, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2026/09/canada-and-alberta-to-collaborate-on-high-speed-rail.html
2. Amir Said, CBC News. "Calgary-Edmonton high-speed rail project moves forward with new commitments from Alberta, feds." September 28, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-edmonton-red-deer-rail-service-alberta-canada-9.7361563
3. The Canadian Press / Global News. "Alberta announces next step in high-speed rail plan to connect Edmonton, Calgary." September 28, 2026. https://globalnews.ca/news/12076473/alberta-high-speed-rail-next-step-edmonton-calgary/
4. Melissa Gilligan, CTV News Calgary. "Alberta, Ottawa to explore high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton." September 28, 2026. https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/alberta-ottawa-to-explore-high-speed-rail-between-calgary-and-edmonton/
5. CityNews Calgary. "Private bids for Calgary–Edmonton high-speed rail." September 28, 2026. https://calgary.citynews.ca/2026/09/28/private-bids-calgary-edmonton-high-speed-rail/
6. Red Deer Advocate. "Alberta and Canada advance high-speed rail plan." September 28, 2026. https://reddeeradvocate.com/2026/09/28/alberta-and-canada-advance-high-speed-rail-plan/
7. Global News. "High-speed rail partnership to connect three Alberta cities receives provincial MOU" (Prairie Link, 2021). https://globalnews.ca/news/8014058/high-speed-rail-partnership-to-connect-three-alberta-cities-receives-provincial-mou
8. High-Speed Rail Canada. Historical summary of high-speed rail in Alberta, 2023.
9. Paul Langan, "The History of Bombardier's Jet Train", Brentunespublishing,  2024