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What to know about Alberta’s planned high-speed trains between Calgary and Edmonton
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What to know about Alberta’s planned high-speed trains between Calgary and Edmonton

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Alberta is moving ahead with a long-term passenger rail strategy that will see a rail network built between Edmonton and Calgary, along with expanded regional and airport connections.

The Passenger Rail Master Plan, which was released on June 5, 2026, outlines a 30-year network that includes plans for a high-speed train of up to 320 km/h between Edmonton and Calgary via Red Deer, with up to one train per hour in the key corridor.

Frequent airport-express and commuter rail service is also part of the plan, including all-day service every 20 minutes for Calgary International Airport, Airdrie, Edmonton International Airport and St. Albert, and commuter-peak services for other connections.

It will also see higher-speed service between Calgary and Banff at over 160 km/h, along with regional connections aimed at improving access to tourism and employment hubs.

According to its website, the province is moving ahead with the first steps of the plan with a $15 million investment over three years to support:

  • planning for a passenger rail connection between Edmonton’s light-rail transit (LRT) system and the Edmonton International Airport
  • initial planning for a central station in downtown Calgary
  • engagement with industry to assess private‑sector market capacity, financing approaches, business models and investment strategies to advance passenger rail

The Province is even thinking long-term with its vision, outlining potential routes by the time the 2080s roll around.

The plan was announced in 2024, with a vision for a passenger rail system that would include public, private, or hybrid passenger rail between Calgary and Edmonton.

The province committed $9 million to support the development of the plan in the 2024 budget, and it was expected to be completed by 2025.

You can learn more about the project online.

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Kendall Collins, Daily Hive

Kendall is a Staff Writer for Daily Hive based in Calgary. She grew up in Dawson Creek, B.C. and moved to Calgary to pursue a journalism diploma at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

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