High-speed rail brings people closer together, even in wide open spaces such as Alberta

We don't often agree with Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta. Smith cited population growth in the province in the throne speech.

The speech referred to 2 rail projects: a train from Banff to Calgary's downtown and airport as well as a high-speed link between Calgary and Edmonton.

"And yes, we need to start planning for the inevitable need for high-speed rail through the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor when six to seven million Albertans eventually call that corridor their home," the speech stated.

For those not familiar, the throne speech is given each year by the premier about the state of the province. Tradition says the premier does not actually deliver the speech so the lieutenant governor of the province actually delivers the speech. The lieutenant governor of a province is the representative of, well, now it is King Charles III, similar to the governor general on the federal level.

Back in the Greyhound days, I took the bus from Calgary to Edmonton and then eventually back to Calgary. A lovely, reasonable trip that also stops off in Red Deer. There are buses that go between the cities. I've also been on Greyhound from Calgary to Lake Louise with a local shuttle between Lake Louise and Banff. A high speed rail would be a wonderful addition.

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Smith is correct in that if travel was easier in that corridor, people will travel and spend money in those areas. The only Via Rail train in Canada where Alberta is affected is Edmonton-Jasper. Rocky Mountaineer runs trains during the daytime only that start in Vancouver and covers Whistler and Kamloops in British Columbia as well as Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff in Alberta. Calgary is not a stop on that train.

Via Rail does a better job at serving Ontario and Quebec than those in the west in Canada.

We have noted the transportation dilemmas in previous stories with the loss of Greyhound and the difficulties at serving remote communities where people often take buses to get better health care.

It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton.

We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer. pic.twitter.com/kp0iN86vCP

— Jason Kenney 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@jkenney) June 22, 2020

Jason Kenney, then Alberta premier, pitched the ridiculous idea of areas of the province not remotely close to Edmonton as a way to get the NHL to have a bubble in the Alberta capital. If you forget everything about 2020, the video makes a nice incentive to travel to and within Alberta. Just not to Edmonton.

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Calgary to Edmonton. Regina to Saskatoon. Winnipeg to Regina. Winnipeg to Calgary. Buses or cars are the only 2 options.

A train would be a better option in winter, which can be significant in western Canada. I've taken buses in Canada in the summer but not during the winter.

Canada is a country where its residents don't often travel within their own country. So many Canadians have told me they don't know the rest of the country. A high speed train, a regular train: this would be meaningful in Alberta. The trains would also serve as inspiration for the rest of the country.

As you might have guessed, western Canada had better train travel at some point. Winnipeg to Regina to Calgary to Edmonton. Vancouver to Calgary and Regina. Not between Regina and Saskatoon but you could get there via Edmonton. Sudbury to Montréal is intriguing since Sudbury has a significant French speaking population.

Brian Mulroney was the prime minister at the time when Via Rail cut back on routes in western Canada. That isn't to signal out Mulroney, just to show how far back the time was when western Canada had better train options. The intercity infrastructure has been a concern blown off by many prime ministers, including the current incumbent, Justin Trudeau.

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This map is what Canada should look like. Buses need to be strengthened to serve these routes and remote communities. The needed infrastructure would mean good jobs. Travel in between cities in Canada will strengthen those places and bring Canadians from different parts closer to each other.

Even Danielle Smith agrees and again, we say on this topic, we definitely agree with Danielle Smith.

Like Amtrak in the United States, Via Rail has to stop trains due to freight trains, which have the right of way. Some of that infrastructure needs to be independent of freight trains to improve speed and viability.

When we talk about travel infrastructure, this also applies within cities, such as the woes with the light rail in Ottawa.

Pharmacare is more important than these projects. Canada can do both and make that work.

photo credits: Via Rail; Via/timetableworld.com
Twitter capture: @jkenney