Calgary to Edmonton in one hour and 45 minutes, downtown to downtown.
That's the target. Now Alberta wants to find out whether a private company can actually build it.
The province announced Monday it will launch a formal Request for Proposals this fall for a high-speed passenger rail line connecting downtown Calgary, Red Deer and downtown Edmonton.
The line would also serve Calgary International Airport, Edmonton International Airport and Airdrie.
Trains could reach 320 km/h, with more than one departure an hour.
"Connecting Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton with high-speed rail would be a generational investment in Alberta's future," Premier Danielle Smith said.
It isn't a decision to build yet. It's a competition to see who's willing to try.
What Alberta is asking for
The province wants private companies to propose how they would deliver and finance the line. It set two conditions.
Minimal provincial investment. The winning proposal is expected to include "minimal financial investment by the provincial government."
It has to connect. The line must link into existing passenger rail in both cities, meaning Calgary's CTrain and Edmonton's LRT.
Alberta plans to select a proponent by April 2027.
The work will include consultation with Indigenous communities, municipalities, industry, investors and the public.
Mark Carney put his name on it
Prime Minister Mark Carney promoted the project himself on Tuesday.
"We're referring Alberta's Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton high speed rail strategy to the Major Projects Office," Carney wrote. "It's time to build the infrastructure that matches our ambition."
There's a catch in the fine print. The joint release says the corridor goes to the federal Major Projects Office once Alberta has picked a private proponent, so after April 2027.
Ottawa and Alberta will also set up a joint governance structure and "explore financing options." No federal dollar figure has been announced.
Eleanor Olszewski, the federal minister responsible for Prairie economic development, compared it to the high-speed rail line being planned between Toronto and Quebec City.
"This is what it means to dream big and work together," she said. High-speed rail, she said, would transform "Canada's third-largest transportation corridor."
How fast is 1 hour 45 minutes?
Driving between the two downtowns usually takes about three hours.
Alberta's Passenger Rail Master Plan puts the bus at three and a half to four hours, and flying at two and a half to three hours once you count getting to and from both airports.
The 1:45 estimate depends on a greenfield corridor: brand-new, dedicated passenger tracks on a new route, not trains sharing freight lines. That's what makes 320 km/h possible, and it's also what makes it expensive.
Alberta's own plan priced it at $38 billion
The new announcement didn't include a cost. Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said it's too early to say.
But the province has put a number on it before.
When Alberta released its Passenger Rail Master Plan in June, it estimated a new high-speed Calgary to Edmonton corridor at about $38 billion in 2025 dollars. The full 30-year network, including airport links, commuter rail and a Calgary to Banff line, was estimated at $60 billion.
Those are early estimates, with an accuracy range of plus 100 per cent to minus 50 per cent. The wide range shows how preliminary the estimate still is.
The plan also found that fares could cover the cost of running the trains once the full network was built, but not the cost of building it.
That's the question hanging over this whole announcement. The province wants a private company to take on a project its own plan priced at $38 billion, with minimal provincial investment. It hasn't explained how that works.
So far, Alberta has committed $15 million over three years to passenger rail. That money is for planning, not construction.
Why the province says it's needed
The Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton corridor is home to about 80 per cent of Albertans, and it's where most of the growth is happening.
Statistics Canada's latest numbers show Alberta growing faster than any other province this year. The province expects to reach nine to 10 million people over the next six decades.
The government says high-speed rail would give people another way to travel the corridor and take pressure off the QEII Highway.
"Throughout the development of Alberta's Passenger Rail Master Plan, we heard that a high-speed passenger rail connection between Calgary and Edmonton via Red Deer is a priority for Albertans," Dreeshen said.
Calgary's mayor wants the airport link done right
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas welcomed the announcement, with a condition.
"If we're going to make this kind of investment, we should make sure it connects properly into Calgary itself," he said in a video statement.
That means connecting with Calgary Transit, getting people downtown and "finally establishing a passenger rail connection to the Calgary International Airport."
Calgary completed a separate airport rail study in 2025. Its preferred option would link the airport to downtown through the Blue and Green LRT lines.
"We have an opportunity to build infrastructure for the city we're becoming, not the city we used to be," Farkas said.
What we still don't know
The final cost. The $38-billion figure is from June. There's no updated number.
Who pays. "Minimal" provincial investment isn't zero, and Ottawa has only committed to exploring financing.
The route. The stops are named. The corridor and station locations aren't.
When. No construction start or opening year.
Ticket prices. Not discussed.
Whether anyone bids. The RFP is how the province finds out if a private company thinks the numbers can work.
Where it fits in the bigger plan
The Calgary to Edmonton line is one piece of Alberta's 30-year passenger rail network, which runs more than 500 kilometres and includes airport service, commuter rail around both cities, and a Calgary to Banff line.
The master plan also sketches a longer 60-year vision, potentially reaching from Fort McMurray to the Crowsnest Pass.
Albertans have heard about Calgary to Edmonton rail for decades. The difference this time is a formal competition, federal backing and a deadline.
Key dates
Fall 2026: Alberta launches the Request for Proposals
April 2027: Province plans to select a proponent
After selection: Project referred to the federal Major Projects Office
Sources
Alberta and Canada advance high-speed rail plan, Government of Alberta, September 28, 2026
Passenger rail, Government of Alberta
Passenger Rail Master Plan executive summary, Government of Alberta
Calgary Airport Rail Connection Study, City of Calgary
Prime Minister Mark Carney, social media post, September 29, 2026
Mayor Jeromy Farkas, video statement, September 2026
Alberta, Ottawa to explore high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton, CTV News Calgary, September 28, 2026
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