THE Canadian province of Alberta, along with the national Canada Infrastructure Bank, has agreed to develop detailed plans to introduce passenger trains between Calgary and Banff with the aim of removing traffic from the Trans-Canada Highway which runs through the Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains.
The proposed service of up to 10 train pairs daily would start at Calgary Airport, north of the city, and then serve six more stations between central Calgary and Banff using a new track built for 131km alongside the existing Canadian Pacificowned transcontinental line Laggan subdivision (Calgary- Banff-Field). A more frequent service between Calgary and the airport would also be part of the plan. While proposals to expand passenger services in Canada have been made before, often leading nowhere, it does appear this proposal has a realistic chance of progressing.
Regular passenger trains have not operated between Calgary and Banff since 1990 when VIA Rail’s ‘Canadian’ service was re-routed to run via the Canadian National route via Edmonton. Tourist train operator Rocky Mountaineer did run some services from Calgary to Vancouver via Banff but stopped passenger operation east of Banff in 2014; its trains still run to and from Canmore for servicing and stabling.
Banff still has a substantial station used by ‘Rocky Mountaineer’ tourist trains. A Vancouver-bound Canadian Pacific freight with export grain is seen passing on September 8, 2019 with GE AC4400CW No. 8536 leading.
KEITH FENDER