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Edmonton International Airport (EIA/YEG)

There is the Iron Horse development on the CP Rail line that is currently under construction. So either we demolish what is already being constructed or we bury the train from 109 St to south of Whyte Ave (preferably south of 76 Ave).
 
go big or go home (I'd also be ok if they just demolished the Fuzion building... it's truly heinous aside from the small Whyte-facing sliver)
 
JuliallThat said:
It's not really that it's a terrible idea, but I'm concerned that if they did set up a heavy rail route on existing ROW they would be cheap about it and the line would terminate in Strathcona requiring extra transfers to get downtown, as opposed to the LRT which is already connected. Even if the ride was longer at least it's no-nonsense direct to Downtown.
Unlike Toronto, or even Calgary we don't have a convenient station on a heavy rail line downtown that could be repurposed or adapted.

That said if they want to set up a dedicated express line direct from the airport to downtown, then giver.
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just going from the letter is quite clearly says the rail service is supposed to be from the airport to "downtown" Edmonton. Also mentions bridges, so perhaps we will have a new rail bridge as part of this.
 
This thread is now off topic and we may need a new thread called YEG Edmonton International Airport Rail and Transportation. Thoughts?
 
Gronk! said:
There is the Iron Horse development on the CP Rail line that is currently under construction. So either we demolish what is already being constructed or we bury the train from 109 St to south of Whyte Ave (preferably south of 76 Ave).
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The Station Park project does not block the right of way although burying under Whyte and Gateway would be a good idea.
 
BASE said:
The Station Park project does not block the right of way although burying under Whyte and Gateway would be a good idea.
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IMG_0347.png
 
I've often wondered: what would Edmonton look like had the airport been positioned where the CFB base is now? (And maybe the CFB based located where the airport is instead). Would the city have primarily expanded towards the north so people could be closer to the airport, with less development on the south side? Would we have gotten an LRT connection to the airport already or have had plans for it within the next decade? What would the rest of the region look like?
 
Good questions about the airport location. I do think it being south has led to more growth of better off areas further south attracting people who travel more.

Of course being on the south side is also convenient for those that have to travel to central or southern Alberta via QEII.

The LRT on the north side veers east somewhat, so it may not have been a simple direct extension, but it seems closer to the edge of the city on the north side.
 
Interesting tidbit: "In a comparison of Edmonton to Winnipeg air travel (not counting Air Canada) from April 2021 (when Flair was not flying out of Winnipeg) and April 2023, fares have gone down by 24 per cent and passenger counts have increased by 86 per cent." (https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/b...-ceo-says-carrier-back-on-a-growth-trajectory)

If Flair can create this kind of market growth on all of their routes, there's potential for some significant growth in passenger numbers.
 
David A said:
Good questions about the airport location. I do think it being south has led to more growth of better off areas further south attracting people who travel more.

Of course being on the south side is also convenient for those that have to travel to central or southern Alberta via QEII.

The LRT on the north side veers east somewhat, so it may not have been a simple direct extension, but it seems closer to the edge of the city on the north side.
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Perhaps had it been on the north side, the LRT would have been extended into Horse Hills and then turned to head towards the airport via the Energy and Tech Park.
 
I’m sure if the CoE decides to develop the south rural area they own (I really hope that never happens) then that’d be a good reason to have LRT run down south terminating at the airport but for a connection from downtown to the airport in the foreseeable future, heavy rail is the way to go. Along with what others have said, the LRT also has a top speed of 80 km/h. Of course there’s the possibility of getting faster trains but that complicates things with the SD160s especially if they intend to make them last as long as the U2s have. This is something that really needs to be competitive with driving/taxis and should have a better travel time than the 747 bus, which the LRT wouldn’t have. Drivers should ideally see the train overtaking them which is very realistic with heavy rail and can already be seen with UP express getting to a top speed of 145 km/h
 
David A said:
Another reason not to fly through Calgary to Europe

calgary.ctvnews.ca

Disappointed Western Canadian travellers discover bitter truth about airfares that seemed too good to be true

A bunch of would-be Alberta globetrotters woke up Friday morning to a few airfares that sounded too good to be true.
calgary.ctvnews.ca calgary.ctvnews.ca
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Additionally another reason to be infuriated with today as news reporting. Story starts out as “travellers from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat,” then segways to “YEG to LGW and YEG to DUB.” Were the travellers from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat booking flights from YEG? I guess so………who knows?

Btw, Gate 50 and 52 jetways have been replaced and are looking sharp from the outside.
 
Seamusmuldrew said:
I’m sure if the CoE decides to develop the south rural area they own (I really hope that never happens) then that’d be a good reason to have LRT run down south terminating at the airport but for a connection from downtown to the airport in the foreseeable future, heavy rail is the way to go. Along with what others have said, the LRT also has a top speed of 80 km/h. Of course there’s the possibility of getting faster trains but that complicates things with the SD160s especially if they intend to make them last as long as the U2s have. This is something that really needs to be competitive with driving/taxis and should have a better travel time than the 747 bus, which the LRT wouldn’t have. Drivers should ideally see the train overtaking them which is very realistic with heavy rail and can already be seen with UP express getting to a top speed of 145 km/h
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It is 36km from downtown to the airport. At 80km/hr it would take 0.45hrs to get there. At 100 0.36hours and at 120 0.3hours. That would Be 27minutes compared to 20 minutes at full speed all the way. Take in to account acceleration and deceleration more like 5 minutes tops.
 
The problem with the LRT line as an airport connection is not just about the top speed of 80km/h. It's also that the line is only designed for local all-stop service patterns. Having a train stop at every station between downtown and the airport would take more than an hour. And if you wanted to have an express service to the airport, you would likely need to build bypass tracks and maybe even additional platforms at some stations so the express services could pass the local ones. Heavy rail doesn't have these problems.
 
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