$3M study on rail connection between Calgary airport and downtown to begin this fall

A study into what a rail connection between the Calgary International Airport and the city's downtown might look like is scheduled to get underway this October.

The City of Calgary and the provincial government announced the study on Monday. It will include reviewing potential ridership, developing and evaluating different alignment scenarios, and identifying the optimal route, the release states.

The study traces back to a $5-million commitment made as part of the last provincial budget.

The Calgary airport connection study is being allocated $3 million of that money, while $2 million will be allocated to the city to initiate design work on the Blue Line extension to aid the airport connection to the east.

An engineering consultant will be recruited to assist with the study, the city wrote in the release. The study will include engagement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Calgary International Airport, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and private rail developers who are working on similar plans, the release says.

"It's important for us to take a comprehensive look at all factors in this technically and physically constrained corridor to establish an optimal functional alignment that will best serve Calgarians, visitors and employees of the airport and surrounding lands," said Michael Thompson, general manager of infrastructure services for the city, in the release.

"The study will consider existing rail plans, past City of Calgary transit studies and other opportunities, to help guide future transit planning."

A request for proposals is currently in market, the city said. Recommendations from the study will be provided to council.

"We're looking at what the best value is for Calgarians, what the best value is for tourists, for employees, for regional customers in making that connection between downtown and the airport," said Asif Kurji, a program development manager with the city.

"There are private sector rail proposals that we're aware of and so we're agnostic to that right now."

City officials have been discussing plans for a train line to the airport for years. In 2020, city administration outlined a preferred route for a proposed train line to the Calgary airport.

At that time, administration highlighted a route that would connect the future Green Line LRT and an extended Blue Line.

"As Calgary continues to grow, it's vital to have a roadmap to build out a transit network that increases capacity and supports transportation needs, now and into the future," said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta's minister of transportation and economic corridors, in the release.

"This project is an important step forward in providing direction on affordable transit infrastructure that will best serve Calgary while respecting taxpayers' investment."